Sex-specific differences and developmental programming for diseases in later life.

Epidemiological data indicate that developmental programming of various non-communicable diseases (NCDs) occurs as a consequence of altered maternal metabolic and physiological status due to a number of environmental insults during pregnancy. Sex-specific differences have also been reported in most NCDs. Evidence suggests that beginning from conception, the maternal and neonatal metabolic environment, including hormones, contributes to sex-specific placental development.

Differential oxidative stress levels in mothers with preeclampsia delivering male and female babies.

Objectives: Increased oxidative stress is known to be associated with pregnancy complications like preeclampsia (PE). We hypothesize that increased maternal oxidative stress may differentially affect/program the pregnancy outcome during early postnatal periods in male and female babies.

Materials And Methods: One-hundred three healthy pregnant women (gestation ≥ 37 weeks) were recruited for the normotensive control (NC) group and 57 women with term-preeclampsia (T-PE; gestation ≥ 37 weeks) and 28 women with preterm-preeclampsia (PT-PE; gestation <37 weeks) were also recruited.

Differential levels of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in women with preeclampsia delivering male and female babies.

Maternal long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) play a key role in fetal growth and development. This study for the first time examines the maternal and cord LCPUFA levels in preeclamptic mothers delivering male and female infants. In this study 122 normotensive control pregnant women (gestation≥37 weeks) and 90 women with preeclampsia were recruited.

Effect of maternal micronutrients (folic acid and vitamin B12) and omega 3 fatty acids on indices of brain oxidative stress in the offspring.

Introduction: Our earlier studies have shown that a maternal diet imbalanced with micronutrients like folic acid, vitamin B12 has adverse effects on fatty acid metabolism, global methylation patterns and levels of brain neurotrophins in the offspring at birth. However, it is not clear if these effects are mediated through oxidative stress. The role of oxidative stress in influencing epigenetic mechanisms and thereby fetal programming is not well studied.

Maternal micronutrients (folic acid and vitamin B(12)) and omega 3 fatty acids: implications for neurodevelopmental risk in the rat offspring.

Altered maternal micronutrients (folic acid, vitamin B(12)) are suggested to be at the heart of intra-uterine programming of adult diseases. We have recently described interactions of folic acid, vitamin B(12) and docosahexaenoic acid in one carbon metabolism that is considered to play a key role in regulation oxidative stress and chromatin methylation. However its impact on fetal oxidative stress and brain fatty acid levels has been relatively unexplored.