Evidence for altered placental blood flow and vascularity in compromised pregnancies.
The placenta is the organ that transports nutrients, respiratory gases, and wastes between the maternal and fetal systems. Consequently, placental blood flow and vascular development are essential components of normal placental function and are critical to fetal growth and development. Normal fetal growth and development are important to ensure optimum health of offspring throughout their subsequent life course. In numerous sheep models of compromised pregnancy, in which fetal or placental growth, or both, are impaired, utero-placental blood flows are reduced. In the models that have been evaluated, placental vascular development also is altered. Recent studies found that treatments designed to increase placental blood flow can 'rescue' fetal growth that was reduced due to low maternal dietary intake. Placental blood flow and vascular development are thus potential therapeutic targets in compromised pregnancies.
Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, and Department of Animal & Range Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo ND 58105-5727, USA. larry.reynolds@ndsu.edu
Lawrence P
LP
Reynolds
Joel S
JS
Caton
Dale A
DA
Redmer
Anna T
AT
Grazul-Bilska
Kimberly A
KA
Vonnahme
Pawel P
PP
Borowicz
Justin S
JS
Luther
Jacqueline M
JM
Wallace
Guoyao
G
Wu
Thomas E
TE
Spencer
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development; D006801:Humans; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D010920:Placenta / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D021041:Placental Circulation; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000503:physiopathology*