Exposure to prenatal hypoxia impairs the function and structure of the carotid arteries in the adult offspring

Little is known about the (long-lasting) impact of pregnancy complications on offspring carotid artery function. We showed that, in adult male offspring, prenatal hypoxia decreased carotid artery myogenic tone and stiffness and changed collagen and elastin densities, whereas in females, prenatal hypoxia increased stiffness. These findings contribute to understanding sex-specific differences of adult offspring exposed to a suboptimal in utero environment on the carotid arteries, an important/easily accessible vascular bed for patient disease evaluation.