Maternal food restriction decreases anti-inflammatory cytokine expression, triggers placental compensatory responses
05/31/2019 // Evangelyn Rodriguez // Views

In this study published in the journal Nutrition Research, a team of researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles investigated the mechanisms underlying intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) using a mouse model. They evaluated key cytokines like interleukin-10 (IL-10), cellular processes related to immunity, and the resulting IUGR phenotype and placental histopathology to determine the immunologic pathways affected by IUGR.

  • IUGR affects up to 10 percent of pregnancies and often has short- and long-term consequences for offspring.
  • It is known that a healthy placenta is essential for nutrient provision to fuel fetal growth, and it is regulated by immunologic inputs.
  • The researchers hypothesized that in pregnancy, maternal food restriction (FR) resulting in IUGR would decrease the overall immunotolerant milieu in the placenta, leading to increased cellular stress and death.
  • To test this hypothesis, they subjected pregnant mice to mild and moderate FR from gestational day 10 to 19, collecting placentas and embryos at gestational day 19.
  • They used RNA sequencing to identify immunologic pathways affected in IUGR-associated placentas and validated messenger RNA expression changes of genes important in cellular integrity.
  • The researchers also evaluated histopathological changes in vascular and trophoblastic structures as well as protein expression changes in autophagy, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and apoptosis in the mouse placentas.
  • They identified several differentially expressed genes in FR compared with control mice, including a considerable subset that regulates immune tolerance, inflammation, and cellular integrity.
  • They found that maternal FR decreases the anti-inflammatory effect of IL-10 and suppresses placental autophagic and ER stress responses, despite the presence of dysregulated vascular and trophoblast structures that lead to IUGR.

The researchers concluded that FR causes IUGR by triggering changes in gene expression in a placental level that involves immunologic pathways and associated cellular maintenance processes.

Journal Reference:

Chu A, Thamotharan S, Ganguly A, Wadehra M, Pellegrini M, Devaskar SU. GESTATIONAL FOOD RESTRICTION DECREASES PLACENTAL INTERLEUKIN-10 EXPRESSION AND MARKERS OF AUTOPHAGY AND ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS IN MURINE INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RESTRICTION. Nutrition Research. October 2016;36(10):1055–1067. DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2016.08.001



Take Action:
Support Natural News by linking to this article from your website.
Permalink to this article:
Copy
Embed article link:
Copy
Reprinting this article:
Non-commercial use is permitted with credit to NaturalNews.com (including a clickable link).
Please contact us for more information.
Free Email Alerts
Get independent news alerts on natural cures, food lab tests, cannabis medicine, science, robotics, drones, privacy and more.
App Store
Android App
eTrust Pro Certified

This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2022 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.

This site uses cookies
Natural News uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using this site, you agree to our privacy policy.
Learn More
Close
Get 100% real, uncensored news delivered straight to your inbox
You can unsubscribe at any time. Your email privacy is completely protected.