Impact of maternal stress during pregnancy on placental glucose transporters
Objective To investigate the effect of fear-induced stress during pregnancy on the expression of glucose transporters(GLUT)in the placenta,providing evidence for the theory of fetal damage caused by fear-induced stress during pregnancy.Methods Twenty pregnant Wistar rats were randomly divided into a control group and a model group of 10 rats each.In the model group,a fear-induced stress model was established using the modified bystander electroshock method for 20 days.After the experiment,the number of offspring and the weights of the placenta and fetal rats were measured,and the placental efficiency was calculated.Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the morphological changes of placental cells.Bioinformatics analysis was performed to screen for differential genes in placentas affected by pregnancy stress-phobia,and gene set enrichment analysis was performed.Protein immunoblotting(Western Blot),Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(Real-time PCR),and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression levels of GLUT1,GLUT3,GLUT6,and GLUT7 proteins and genes.Results The placental efficiency was significantly reduced in the model group compared with that in the control group.The result of transmission electron microscopy in the model group showed that the placental microvilli were sparse and short and that the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum were swollen.Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that placental genes were significantly enriched in cellular glucose homeostasis in the model group compared with those in the control group.The result of Western Blot,Real-time PCR,and immunohistochemistry indicated a decrease in both the protein and gene expression levels of GLUT1,GLUT6,and GLUT7 in the placenta of pregnant rats.Conclusions Prenatal exposure to fear-induced stress may lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes.These adverse outcomes are potentially associated with reduced levels of three key GLUTs in the placenta:GLUT1,GLUT6,and GLUT7.
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