Adaptability and potential for treatment of placental functions to improve embryonic development and postnatal health

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
James C. Cross
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Placental Development ◽  
Experimental Animals ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lines Of Evidence ◽  
In Pregnancy

For an organ that is so critical for life in eutherian mammals, the placenta hardly gets the attention that it deserves. The placenta does a series of remarkable things, including implanting the embryo in the uterus, negotiating with the mother for nutrients but also protecting her health during pregnancy, helping establish normal metabolic and cardiovascular function for life postnatally (developmental programming) and initiating changes that prepare the mother to care for and suckle her young after birth. Different lines of evidence in experimental animals suggest that the development and function of the placenta are adaptable. This means that some of the changes observed in pathological pregnancies may represent attempts to mitigate the impact of fetal growth and development. Key and emerging concepts are reviewed here concerning how we may view the placenta diagnostically and therapeutically in pregnancy complications, focusing on information from experimental studies in mice, sheep and cattle, as well as association studies from humans. Hundreds of different genes have been shown to underlie normal placental development and function, some of which have promise as tractable targets for intervention in pregnancies at risk for poor fetal growth.

The placenta

2020 ◽  
pp. 120-132
Author(s):  
Eric Jauniaux ◽  
Amarnath Bhide ◽  
Graham J. Burton
Keyword(s):  
Steroid Hormones ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Placenta Praevia ◽  
Direct Impact ◽  
Perinatal Complications ◽  
Placental Development ◽  
Vast Array ◽  
Antenatal Detection ◽  
And Function ◽  
In Pregnancy

Abnormal placental development and function are widely recognized as having immediate consequences on the outcome of a pregnancy, and more recently to influence the lifelong health of the offspring. The development of the placenta starts from implantation, when the embryonic pole of the blastocyst enters into contact with the maternal uterine epithelium. The placenta provides the fetus with all essential nutrients, water, and oxygen, and a route for clearance of fetal excretory products, but it also produces a vast array of protein and steroid hormones and factors necessary for the maintenance of pregnancy. Placental-related disorders of pregnancy affect around a third of human pregnancies, primarily including miscarriages, pre-eclampsia, and fetal growth restriction. Placental and umbilical cord structural anomalies that are associated with perinatal complications can now be diagnosed from early in pregnancy with ultrasonography and the antenatal detection of anomalies such as placenta praevia and placenta accreta has a direct impact on the outcome of pregnancy.

scholarly journals Trans-ethnic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies maternal ITPR1 as a novel locus influencing fetal growth during sensitive periods in pregnancy

PLoS Genetics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e1008747
Author(s):  
Fasil Tekola-Ayele ◽  
Cuilin Zhang ◽  
Jing Wu ◽  
Katherine L. Grantz ◽  
Mohammad L. Rahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Genome Wide Association ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Sensitive Periods ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
In Pregnancy

scholarly journals Pregnancy and COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 303-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. N. Wastnedge ◽  
Rebecca M. Reynolds ◽  
Sara R. van Boeckel ◽  
Sarah J. Stock ◽  
Fiona C. Denison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Provision ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Asymptomatic Infection ◽  
Physiological Changes ◽  
Reproductive Health Services ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
In Pregnancy

There are many unknowns for pregnant women during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Clinical experience of pregnancies complicated with infection by other coronaviruses e.g., Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome, has led to pregnant woman being considered potentially vulnerable to severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Physiological changes during pregnancy have a significant impact on the immune system, respiratory system, cardiovascular function, and coagulation. These may have positive or negative effects on COVID-19 disease progression. The impact of SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy remains to be determined, and a concerted, global effort is required to determine the effects on implantation, fetal growth and development, labor, and neonatal health. Asymptomatic infection presents a further challenge regarding service provision, prevention, and management. Besides the direct impacts of the disease, a plethora of indirect consequences of the pandemic adversely affect maternal health, including reduced access to reproductive health services, increased mental health strain, and increased socioeconomic deprivation. In this review, we explore the current knowledge of COVID-19 in pregnancy and highlight areas for further research to minimize its impact for women and their children.

scholarly journals Abnormalities of placental development and function are associated with the different fetal growth patterns of hypoplastic left heart syndrome and transposition of the great arteries

Placenta ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
pp. 57-65
Author(s):  
Jennifer Courtney ◽  
Weston Troja ◽  
Kathryn J. Owens ◽  
Heather M. Brockway ◽  
Andrea C. Hinton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Left Heart ◽  
Placental Development ◽  
Hypoplastic Left Heart ◽  
And Function ◽  
Left Heart Syndrome

Glucocorticoid-induced changes in glucocorticoid receptor mRNA and protein expression in the human placenta as a potential factor for altering fetal growth and development

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana Bivol ◽  
Suzzanne J. Owen ◽  
Roselyn B. Rose'Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Glucocorticoid Receptors ◽  
Low Birthweight ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
The Body ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
Induced Changes

Glucocorticoids (GCs) control essential metabolic processes in virtually every cell in the body and play a vital role in the development of fetal tissues and organ systems. The biological actions of GCs are mediated via glucocorticoid receptors (GRs), the cytoplasmic transcription factors that regulate the transcription of genes involved in placental and fetal growth and development. Several experimental studies have demonstrated that fetal exposure to high maternal GC levels early in gestation is associated with adverse fetal outcomes, including low birthweight, intrauterine growth restriction and anatomical and structural abnormalities that may increase the risk of cardiovascular, metabolic and neuroendocrine disorders in adulthood. The response of the fetus to GCs is dependent on gender, with female fetuses becoming hypersensitive to changes in GC levels whereas male fetuses develop GC resistance in the environment of high maternal GCs. In this paper we review GR function and the physiological and pathological effects of GCs on fetal development. We propose that GC-induced changes in the placental structure and function, including alterations in the expression of GR mRNA and protein levels, may play role in inhibiting in utero fetal growth.

Placental control of fetal growth

1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 333 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Robinson ◽  
S Chidzanja ◽  
K Kind ◽  
F Lok ◽  
P Owens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factors ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Placental Development ◽  
Maternal Environment ◽  
Adult Disease ◽  
Prenatal Growth ◽  
And Function ◽  
Subsequent Risk ◽  
Length Of Gestation ◽  
Insulin Like Growth Factors

The placenta exerts its effects on the growth of the fetus from the beginning of pregnancy via metabolic and endocrine mechanisms. To achieve this, the placenta exchanges a wide array of nutrients, endocrine signals, cytokines and growth factors with the mother and the fetus. These exchanges modulate or programme fetal growth and development. This review concentrates on the function and structure of the placenta in humans and in animals, and the effects of experimental perturbation of placental size and function on fetal growth. The consequences for fetal growth of varying the abundance of peptides or, by deleting genes, insulin-like growth factors or cytokines, are also described. Maternal nutritional and hormonal state from as early as the first few days after fertilization, can influence the growth rate of the placenta and the fetus and also the length of gestation. Influences on placental development and their consequences will clearly have an impact on the placental control of fetal growth. Variations in the maternal environment and consequent perturbation of the metabolic and endocrine environment of the placenta and fetus are implicated as being responsible for the associations between prenatal growth of the placenta and its fetus and the subsequent risk of adult disease. The next challenge will be to determine the dominant influences at each stage of fetal and placental growth.

Effects of Maternal Drinking and Marijuana Use on Fetal Growth and Development

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-546
Author(s):  
Ralph Hingson ◽  
Joel J. Alpert ◽  
Nancy Day ◽  
Elizabeth Dooling ◽  
Herbert Kayne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Marijuana Use ◽  
City Hospital ◽  
Maternal Weight ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
Boston City Hospital ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact

A study of 1,690 mother/child pairs at Boston City Hospital was conducted to assess the impact of maternal alcohol consumption on fetal development when confounding variables were controlled. Level of maternal drinking prior to pregnancy was associated with shorter duration of gestation. Lower maternal weight change, history of maternal illnesses, cigarette smoking, and marijuana use, however, were more consistently related to adverse fetal growth and development. New findings in this study include a negative association between maternal marijuana use during pregnancy and fetal growth. Also when confounding variables were controlled, women who used marijuana during pregnancy were five times more likely to deliver infants with features considered compatible with the fetal alcohol syndrome.

Maternal Methyl-Cycle Amino Acid Profile and Kinetics: Relation with Placental Growth

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
Sarita Devi ◽  
Julian Crasta ◽  
Tinku Thomas ◽  
Pratibha Dwarkanath ◽  
Annamma Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Placental Development ◽  
Amino Acid Availability ◽  
South Indian ◽  
Methyl Cycle ◽  
And Function ◽  
Amino Acid Concentrations

Maternal intake of quality protein regulates placental development and function thereby affecting fetal growth. Considering the prevalence of inadequate intakes of quality protein in Indian pregnant women, understanding the interplay between maternal supply of protein, its metabolism and fetoplacental growth becomes important. A secondary analysis of data from an open labelled-randomized intervention trial with 500 ml milk/day on south Indian pregnant women with marginally low vitamin B12 status, was performed to assess the relations between placental parameters and maternal trimester 3 methyl-cycle amino acid status as well as kinetics. This analysis was performed for 42 pregnancies from the trial where placentae had been collected and placental parameters had been measured. For these pregnancies, data on trimester 3 methionine, serine and glycine kinetics as well as plasma free amino acid concentrations were available. Protein intake and plasma citrulline concentrations were positively correlated at trimester 3 (ρ = 0.34, P = 0.027). Placental weight correlated positively with methyl-cycle specific amino acid concentrations [methionine (ρ = 0.32, P = 0.0388), serine (ρ = 0.49, P = 0.0009)], methionine kinetics [total methionine flux rates (ρ = 0.42, P = 0.006), RM (ρ = 0.45, P = 0.003), TS (ρ = 0.32, P = 0.046), TM (ρ = 0.45, P = 0.004)] and with birth weight (ρ = 0.57, P < 0.001). Findings from the current study indicate that maternal amino acid availability and more importantly, maternal methionine kinetics, positively influenced placental growth, likely mediated by key amino acids such as citrulline, which is known to regulate placental blood flow and function. As an appropriately functioning placenta is indispensable for fetal growth, these findings will form the basis for detailed mechanistic explorations into the placental regulation of maternal supply of amino acid to the fetus for designing effective intervention strategies towards optimizing fetomaternal health during and after pregnancy.

Genetic influences on the association between fetal growth and susceptibility to type 2 diabetes

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. Shields ◽  
R. M. Freathy ◽  
A. T. Hattersley
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Insulin Secretion ◽  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
The Impact

The fetal insulin hypothesis proposes that low birth weight and susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D) could both be two phenotypes of the same genotype. Insulin is a key growth factor in utero, and T2D is characterized by insulin resistance and/or beta-cell dysfunction. Therefore, genetic variants impacting on insulin secretion and action are likely to alter both fetal growth and susceptibility to T2D. There are three lines of evidence in support of this hypothesis. (1) Studies of rare monogenic diabetes have shown mutations in a single gene, such as GCK or KCNJ11, can cause diabetes by reducing insulin secretion, and these mutations are also associated with reduced birth weight. (2) Epidemiological studies have indicated that children born to fathers with diabetes are born smaller. As the father cannot influence the intrauterine environment, this association is likely to reflect genes inherited by the fetus from the father. (3) The most compelling evidence comes from recent genome-wide association studies. Variants in the CDKAL1 and HHEX-IDE genes that predispose to diabetes, if present in the fetus, are associated with reduced birth weight. These data provide evidence for a genetic contribution to the association between low birth weight and susceptibility to T2D. This genetic background is important to take into consideration when investigating the impact of environmental determinants and developing strategies for intervention and prevention.

scholarly journals Tryptophan metabolism, disposition and utilization in pregnancy

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulla A.-B. Badawy
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Essential Amino Acid ◽  
Tryptophan Metabolism ◽  
Amino Acid Tryptophan ◽  
In Pregnancy

The essential amino acid tryptophan (Trp) is especially important in pregnancy for protein synthesis by mother and fetus, fetal growth and development and prevention of fetal rejection by immunosuppression. A Trp utilization concept based on these physiological requirements in pregnancy is proposed.

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