Publications by authors named "Katherine L Steeves"
Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of compounds with uses in industry and many consumer products. Concerns about the potential health effects of these compounds resulted in regulation by the Stockholm Convention on the use of three of the most common PFAS, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Thousands of PFAS remain in production that are unregulated and for which their toxicity is unknown.
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- Recent studies have found microplastics in human blood and placenta, but their health effects are not fully understood.
- In experiments with pregnant mice, exposure to polystyrene microplastics led to fetal growth restriction, prompting further research on polyethylene, a common type of microplastic.
- The study showed that while polyethylene exposure did not affect fetal growth, it significantly increased blood flow in the umbilical artery, indicating potential risks to placental function and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics in pregnant mice affects fetal brain metabolism, particularly during gestation and lactation.
- Pregnant mice were given drinking water containing nanoplastics and researchers found significant decreases in important metabolites like GABA, creatine, and glucose in the fetal brain.
- The findings suggest that maternal nanoplastic exposure disrupts normal brain development in fetuses, highlighting potential risks for human pregnancies and the need for further research.
Maternal exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics has been shown to result in fetal growth restriction in mice. In this study, we investigated the placental and fetal hemodynamic responses to plastics exposure in mice using high-frequency ultrasound. Healthy, pregnant CD-1 dams were given either 106 ng/L of 5 μm polystyrene microplastics or 106 ng/L of 50 nm polystyrene nanoplastics in drinking water throughout gestation and were compared with controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConcerns regarding the persistence, bioaccumulation behaviour, and toxicity of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid have resulted in the creation of thousands of replacement perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This study reports on the discovery of fluorotelomer ethoxylates (FTEO) in indoor dust (9/15 samples), and industrial effluents (14/37 samples) using gas chromatographic cyclic ion mobility mass spectrometry (GC-cIMS). By filtering the detected unknowns by mass and collision-cross section, a series of FTEO homologues were revealed with the formula F-(CF)(CHO)H, where n = 6,8,10, and x = 4-12.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlacental metabolism determines the amount of nutrients available to the fetus and may be altered in pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR). To study which metabolites are associated with FGR, we performed H high-resolution magic angle spinning magnetic resonance spectroscopy of placental tissue from endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout (eNOS KO) mice, a model of FGR, and C57BL/6J controls at embryonic day 17.5 (n = 24/genotype).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: During pregnancy, appropriate placental metabolism is essential for fetuses to reach their growth potential. However, metabolic mechanisms during pregnancy remain poorly understood. Determination of the levels of placental metabolites in healthy pregnancy and how they change throughout gestation is critical for understanding placental function.
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- PFASs, like PFOA and PFOS, are harmful chemicals that stay in the environment and can build up in living organisms, raising concerns about health risks throughout life.
- Research indicates that these substances can disrupt placental function and hinder fetal development during pregnancy, but human studies face challenges due to varying genetic and environmental influences.
- This review focuses on mouse studies to illustrate the direct impacts of prenatal exposure to PFOA and PFOS on placental and fetal growth, along with potential long-term effects on brain function and metabolism in offspring, while also highlighting areas needing further research.