I. V. Poladych¹*, I. O. Shymanskyi², M. M. Veliky², D. O. Govsieiev¹

¹Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology No 1,
Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine;
²Department of Biochemistry of Vitamins and Coenzymes,
Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
*e-mail: iren.poladich@gmail.com

Received: 08 May 2025; Revised: 08 August 2025;
Accepted: 12 September 2025; Available on-line: 17 September 2025

Deficiency of vitamin D₃ during pregnancy is a widespread challenge associated with increased risk of complications, particularly preeclampsia (PE), a serious condition characterized by hypertension with proteinuria. This research aimed to study the experimental preeclampsia rates in pregnant rats depending on the vitamin D₃ supply. Eight-week-old female Wistar rats were divided into three experimental groups: control; vitamin D₃-deficient for 60 days before mating; vitamin D₃-deficient with oral vitamin D₃ supplement (1000 IU/kg b.w.t) two weeks before mating. Subgroups with and without PE induction were analyzed. PE was induced by administration of Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). The blood level of vitamin D₃ was measu­red using a 25-Hydroxyvitamin D₃ ELISA kit. Proteinuria was assessed using semi-quantitative urine test strips “Prototest”. The highest blood pressure and proteinuria levels were recorded in animals with combined vitamin D₃ deficiency and induced preeclampsia. Administration of vitamin D₃ contributed to normalization of hemodynamic parameters and kidney function, indicating the importance of an adequate vitamin D₃ status for pregnancy health and PE prevention.