Appropriate in utero growth is essential for offspring development and is a critical contributor to long-term health. Fetal growth is largely dictated by the availability of nutrients in maternal circulation and the ability of these nutrients to be transported into fetal circulation via the placenta. Substrate flux across placental gradients is dependent on the accessibility and activity of nutrient-specific transporters. Changes in the expression and activity of these transporters is implicated in cases of restricted and excessive fetal growth, and may represent a control mechanism by which fetal growth rate attempts to match availability of nutrients in maternal circulation. This review provides an overview of placenta nutrient transport with an emphasis on macro-nutrient transporters. It highlights the changes in expression and activity of these transporters associated with common pregnancy pathologies, including intrauterine growth restriction, macrosomia, diabetes and obesity, as well as the potential impact of maternal diet. Molecular signaling pathways linking maternal nutrient availability and placenta nutrient transport are discussed. How sexual dimorphism affects fetal growth strategies and the placenta's response to an altered intrauterine environment is considered. Further knowledge in this area may be the first step in the development of targeted interventions to help optimize fetal growth.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4200776 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms150916153 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Combined first-trimester screening for preterm small-for-gestational-age infants: Australian multicenter clinical feasibility study.
Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol
January 2025
Discipline of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Objective: To assess the performance of the Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) first-trimester competing-risks screening model for small-for-gestational-age (SGA) fetuses requiring delivery at < 37 weeks' gestation, in a large cohort of women receiving maternity care in Australia.
Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from a cohort of women attending one of two private multicenter fetal medicine practices for first-trimester screening for preterm pre-eclampsia (PE), defined as PE requiring delivery before 37 weeks' gestation. Risk for preterm SGA, defined as SGA requiring delivery before 37 weeks, was calculated but was not disclosed to the patient or referring physician.
Prediction of pre-eclampsia using maternal hemodynamic parameters at 12 + 0 to 15 + 6 weeks.
Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol
January 2025
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
Objectives: To compare the maternal hemodynamic profile at 12 + 0 to 15 + 6 weeks' gestation in women who subsequently developed pre-eclampsia (PE) and those who did not, and to assess the screening performance of maternal hemodynamic parameters for PE in combination with the Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) triple test, including maternal factors (MF), mean arterial pressure (MAP), uterine artery pulsatility index and placental growth factor.
Methods: This was a prospective case-control study involving Chinese women with a singleton pregnancy who underwent preterm PE screening at 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks' gestation using the FMF triple test, between February 2020 and February 2023. Women identified as being at high risk (≥ 1:100) for preterm PE by the FMF triple test were matched 1:1 with women identified as low risk (< 1:100) for maternal age ± 3 years, maternal weight ± 5 kg and date of screening ± 14 days.
Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate alleviates fetal growth restriction by mediating aquaporin-3 expression in placental trophoblast cells.
FASEB J
January 2025
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is characterized by the inability of the fetus to achieve its growth potential due to pathological factors, most commonly impaired placental trophoblast cell function. Currently, effective prevention and treatment methods of FGR are limited. We aimed to explore the pathogenesis of FGR and provide potential strategies for mitigating its occurrence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypertensive disorders of pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus and predicted risk of maternal cardiovascular disease 10-14 years after delivery: A prospective cohort.
Diabet Med
January 2025
Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Aims: Studies evaluating the relationship between adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs), namely hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), with the estimated risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains limited and could inform patient-centred decision-making in the postpartum period. We examined whether HDP or GDM were associated with a higher 10- and 30-year predicted risk of ASCVD measured 10-14 years after delivery.
Methods: A secondary analysis from the international prospective Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome Follow-up Study (2013-2016) cohort.
Human epicardial organoids from pluripotent stem cells resemble fetal stage with potential cardiomyocyte- transdifferentiation.
Cell Biosci
January 2025
Laboratory of Cell Fate Control, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
Epicardium, the most outer mesothelium, exerts crucial functions in fetal heart development and adult heart regeneration. Here we use a three-step manipulation of WNT signalling entwined with BMP and RA signalling for generating a self-organized epicardial organoid that highly express with epicardium makers WT1 and TCF21 from human embryonic stem cells. After 8-days treatment of TGF-beta following by bFGF, cells enter into epithelium-mesenchymal transition and give rise to smooth muscle cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!