Preeclampsia is a multifactorial pathology affecting from 1.5 to 16.7 % of pregnancies across the world and causes 60, 000 maternal deaths per year [1]. The main clinical manifestations reported for preeclampsia are new onset hypertension from the 20th week of gestation as well as evidence of end organ dysfunction including proteinuria, and acute kidney injury [2], [3], [4]. Moreover, there is a connection between the preeclamptic intrauterine environment and the offspring childhood development as well as adult chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension [5].

Preeclampsia treatment is mainly symptomatic, and the only effective resolution consist in the end of pregnancy. Drugs such as statins successfully used for treatment of dyslipidemias and the prevention of cardiovascular morbidities, have been recently focused to improve the pathophysiologic processes involved in the development of preeclampsia [6], [7]. Although some previous studies report important teratogenic effects of statins [8], current research suggests that particularly pravastatin does not lead to increased risk of fetal malformation and other detrimental effects on the fetus, mainly due to its elevated hydrophilicity that causes poor placental transport [9], [10]. Indeed pravastatin has been used with some success in experimental models of preeclampsia [9], but treatment before the beginning of pregnancy to prevent preeclampsia manifestations has not been evaluated. Besides the above mentioned effects of statins [9], some studies support their capacity to attenuate oxidative stress [11].

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are reported to be increased in preeclampsia mainly through the pathway of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NADPH) enzyme [12]. The various NADPH isoforms are widely distributed throughout the organism, however NOX1 is the isoform over expressed in placentás syncytiotrophoblast [13], whereas NOX2 is found increased in endothelium [14], [15]. Consequently, the aim of this study was to compare whether early pravastatin administration before the beginning of pregnancy produces a better outcome than when started during the second third of pregnancy in preeclampsia phenotype rats. Outcome was evaluating comparing blood pressure, vascular contractility and superoxide anion levels.