Mitochondrial pharmacotherapy during pregnancy and lactation in an ADPKD mouse model: a win for both mothers and their offspring

Pharmacotherapies that are safe during pregnancy are lacking for patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. In this issue, Daneshgar et al. reveal that administration of the mitochondrial-protective peptide, elamipretide, during pregnancy and lactation in a mouse model with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, is nonteratogenic and attenuates disease severity in both mothers and their affected offspring. This finding suggests therapeutic potential of elamipretide during pregnancy, in utero, and in early postnatal life.