title: Roles of nitric oxide and asymmetric dimethylarginine in pregnancy and fetal programming.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) regulates placental blood flow and actively participates in trophoblast invasion and placental development. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) can inhibit NO synthase, which generates NO. ADMA has been associated with uterine artery flow disturbances such as preeclampsia. Substantial experimental evidence has reliably supported the hypothesis that an adverse in utero environment plays a role in postnatal physiological and pathophysiological programming. Growing evidence suggests that the placental nitrergic system is involved in epigenetic fetal programming. In this review, we discuss the roles of NO and ADMA in normal and compromised pregnancies as well as the link between placental insufficiency and epigenetic fetal programming.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 800, Taiwan. tainyl@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Li-Tung
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Chih-Sung
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Kow-Aung
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: You-Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Tain
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010920:Placenta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010927:Placental Insufficiency / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000378:metabolism; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; C018524:N,N-dimethylarginine; D001120:Arginine