Pravastatin to treat and prevent preeclampsia. Preclinical and clinical studies.

Pre-eclampsia is a disease of pregnancy affecting 5%-8% of all pregnancies and a leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality. Despite improvements in the diagnosis, there is no effective method for prevention and treatment. While studies in women are of critical importance, investigation of pathological mechanisms in pregnant women is necessarily limited, and the ability to establish cause and effect relationships, difficult. Mouse models have been instrumental in defining pathogenic mechanisms in preeclampsia and in the identification of pravastatin as a potential treatment to prevent pregnancy complications associated with placental dysfunction. Numerous epidemiological studies provided robust evidence demonstrating that pravastatin exposure during pregnancy does not affect fetal development. In addition, pravastatin is hydrophilic and has a limited passage through the placenta, diminishing any safety concerns. Several pilot studies suggest that pravastatin may be a good option to prevent and treat preeclampsia in women. While these studies are promising, the effectiveness of pravastatin to treat preeclampsia needs to be confirmed by randomized clinical trials.