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Using mice to model conditions in the uterus, Cambridge researchers have provided new insights into how the placenta regulates the amount of oxygen and nutrients it carries in babies during difficult pregnancies.
The placenta is the organ least understood in mammals, like humans, and is notoriously difficult to study in pregnant women. But its ability to function properly is vital because it has an impact on the outcome of pregnancy and the lifetime health of the mother and the child.
The placenta develops during pregnancy and connects the developing baby to the mother. It serves as lungs, kidneys, intestines and liver for growing babies and transports oxygen and nutrients to the fetus while secreting hormones and eliminating waste.
Dr. Amanda N Sferruzzi-Perri, associate researcher at St John's College of Trophoblast Research Center and researcher Dorothy Hodgkin of the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, is the only researcher at the University of Cambridge. lead author of the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The research is focused on analyzing small parts of the placenta cells called mitochondria. Mitochondria are the power plants of most body cells and use oxygen to convert sugars and fats into energy.
Dr. Sferruzzi-Perri said, "The study analyzed how placental mitochondria can alter their function to meet the needs of the rapidly growing placenta and fetus during a healthy pregnancy and when the mother is put to the challenge by a less desirable environment.
"We found that in the placenta, mitochondria have a remarkable capacity to adapt and compensate for environmental impacts, for example when women live at high altitude in low oxygen areas and do not eat enough during pregnancy" .
Changing lifestyles in society, which force women to consume nutritionally deficient diets during pregnancy, can lead to complications during pregnancy and living at altitudes above 2500 m in places such as Bolivia, Peru, Tibet and Ethiopia, limit oxygen levels. It is estimated that about two percent of the human population, or 140 million people, live in areas with low oxygen levels.
Under these conditions, the placenta does not always work properly and can cause miscarriage, preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. About 10% of babies are born with fetal growth restriction – when the baby is not growing properly – and this can leave a lasting legacy on their health.
Fetal growth restriction is an important marker of potential problems in the baby, including stillbirth, death in the first weeks of life, increased risk of birth with cerebral palsy, behavioral and developmental problems, neurological disorders and chronic diseases later in life, such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
The team of scientists has introduced challenges – known as hypoxic conditions – in the laboratory. They used the mouse as a model, while its placenta developed and functioned similarly to humans, examining the reaction of the placenta and its mitochondria and its impact on fetal growth.
Dr. Sferruzzi-Perri explained, "The placental mitochondria determine how to use oxygen and nutrients in the most efficient way, so that it remains sufficient to be transferred to the fetus, even in difficult pregnancy. When the placenta can not compensate for difficulties, it can lead to complications such as fetal growth restriction.
"We know that the health of babies born with a fetal growth restriction has a lasting impact on health because organs and tissues such as the heart, pancreas, muscles and liver are very sensitive when they are develop in the uterus. If these organs do not develop properly, they are more likely to malfunction later. "
The purpose of this study – the first of its kind – was to understand what is needed for a healthy placenta to fulfill its vital functions during pregnancy.
Dr. Sferruzzi-Perri added, "Our results show that mitochondria play a key role in placental function and contribute to fetal growth. The next step would be to target mitochondria in the placenta to change their function and improve the chances of successful pregnancy in women for whom we know the result could be poor. "
When babies were born with fetal growth restriction, the team had already found that the placenta buffer mechanism was insufficient during pregnancy.
It is hoped that the new discoveries could lead to tests to determine whether the placenta is functioning properly and possibly to provide treatments that restore placental function to the appropriate level for a healthy pregnancy.
This article has been republished from documents provided by St John's Cambridge College. Note: Content may have changed for length and content. For more information, please contact the cited source.
Reference:
Sferruzzi-Perri, A.N., Higgins, J.S., Vaughan, O.R., Murray, A.J. and Fowden, A.L. (2019). Placental mitochondria adapt to development and hypoxia to promote fetal growth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201816056. doi: 10.1073 / pnas.1816056116
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