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Vonnahme KA, Lemley CO, Shukla P, O'Rourke ST. 2011 AND 2012 EARLY CAREERS ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS: Placental programming: How the maternal environment can impact placental function1,2. J Anim Sci 2013; 91:2467-80. [DOI: 10.2527/jas.2012-5929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- K. A. Vonnahme
- Department of Animal Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State 39762
| | - C. O. Lemley
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State 39762
| | - P. Shukla
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo 58108
| | - S. T. O'Rourke
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo 58108
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Park SY, Walker JJ, Johnson NW, Zhao Z, Lightman SL, Spiga F. Constant light disrupts the circadian rhythm of steroidogenic proteins in the rat adrenal gland. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2013. [PMID: 23178164 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2012.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The circadian rhythm of corticosterone (CORT) secretion from the adrenal cortex is regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is entrained to the light-dark cycle. Since the circadian CORT rhythm is associated with circadian expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein, we investigated the 24h pattern of hormonal secretion (ACTH and CORT), steroidogenic gene expression (StAR, SF-1, DAX1 and Nurr77) and the expression of genes involved in ACTH signalling (MC2R and MRAP) in rats entrained to a normal light-dark cycle. We found that circadian changes in ACTH and CORT were associated with the circadian expression of all gene targets; with SF-1, Nurr77 and MRAP peaking in the evening, and DAX1 and MC2R peaking in the morning. Since disruption of normal SCN activity by exposure to constant light abolishes the circadian rhythm of CORT in the rat, we also investigated whether the AM-PM variation of our target genes was also disrupted in rats exposed to constant light conditions for 5weeks. We found that the disruption of the AM-PM variation of ACTH and CORT secretion in rats exposed to constant light was accompanied by a loss of AM-PM variation in StAR, SF-1 and DAX1, and a reversed AM-PM variation in Nurr77, MC2R and MRAP. Our data suggest that circadian expression of StAR is regulated by the circadian expression of nuclear receptors and proteins involved in both ACTH signalling and StAR transcription. We propose that ACTH regulates the secretion of CORT via the circadian control of steroidogenic gene pathways that become dysregulated under the influence of constant light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin Y Park
- Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, Dorothy Hodgkin Building, Whitson Street, Bristol BS1 3NY, UK
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53
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Chen YC, Sheen JM, Tiao MM, Tain YL, Huang LT. Roles of melatonin in fetal programming in compromised pregnancies. Int J Mol Sci 2013; 14:5380-401. [PMID: 23466884 PMCID: PMC3634509 DOI: 10.3390/ijms14035380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2013] [Revised: 02/25/2013] [Accepted: 02/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Compromised pregnancies such as those associated with gestational diabetes mellitus, intrauterine growth retardation, preeclampsia, maternal undernutrition, and maternal stress may negatively affect fetal development. Such pregnancies may induce oxidative stress to the fetus and alter fetal development through the epigenetic process that may affect development at a later stage. Melatonin is an oxidant scavenger that reverses oxidative stress during the prenatal period. Moreover, the role of melatonin in epigenetic modifications in the field of developmental programming has been studied extensively. Here, we describe the physiological function of melatonin in pregnancy and discuss the roles of melatonin in fetal programming in compromised pregnancies, focusing on its involvement in redox and epigenetic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Chieh Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan; E-Mails: (Y.-C.C.); (J.-M.S.); (M.-M.T.); (Y.-L.T.)
| | - Jiunn-Ming Sheen
- Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan; E-Mails: (Y.-C.C.); (J.-M.S.); (M.-M.T.); (Y.-L.T.)
| | - Miao-Meng Tiao
- Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan; E-Mails: (Y.-C.C.); (J.-M.S.); (M.-M.T.); (Y.-L.T.)
| | - You-Lin Tain
- Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan; E-Mails: (Y.-C.C.); (J.-M.S.); (M.-M.T.); (Y.-L.T.)
- Center for Translational Research in Biomedical Sciences, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan
| | - Li-Tung Huang
- Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan; E-Mails: (Y.-C.C.); (J.-M.S.); (M.-M.T.); (Y.-L.T.)
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung University, Linkow 333, Taiwan
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel.: +886-975-056-169; Fax: +886-773-380-09
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54
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Serón-Ferré M, Forcelledo ML, Torres-Farfan C, Valenzuela FJ, Rojas A, Vergara M, Rojas-Garcia PP, Recabarren MP, Valenzuela GJ. Impact of chronodisruption during primate pregnancy on the maternal and newborn temperature rhythms. PLoS One 2013; 8:e57710. [PMID: 23469055 PMCID: PMC3585206 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2012] [Accepted: 01/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Disruption of the maternal environment during pregnancy is a key contributor to offspring diseases that develop in adult life. To explore the impact of chronodisruption during pregnancy in primates, we exposed pregnant capuchin monkeys to constant light (eliminating the maternal melatonin rhythm) from the last third of gestation to term. Maternal temperature and activity circadian rhythms were assessed as well as the newborn temperature rhythm. Additionally we studied the effect of daily maternal melatonin replacement during pregnancy on these rhythms. Ten pregnant capuchin monkeys were exposed to constant light from 60% of gestation to term. Five received a daily oral dose of melatonin (250 µg kg/body weight) at 1800 h (LL+Mel) and the other five a placebo (LL). Six additional pregnant females were maintained in a 14∶10 light:dark cycles and their newborns were used as controls (LD). Rhythms were recorded 96 h before delivery in the mother and at 4-6 days of age in the newborn. Exposure to constant light had no effect on the maternal body temperature rhythm however it delayed the acrophase of the activity rhythm. Neither rhythm was affected by melatonin replacement. In contrast, maternal exposure to constant light affected the newborn body temperature rhythm. This rhythm was entrained in control newborns whereas LL newborns showed a random distribution of the acrophases over 24-h. In addition, mean temperature was decreased (34.0±0.6 vs 36.1±0.2°C, in LL and control, respectively P<0.05). Maternal melatonin replacement during pregnancy re-synchronized the acrophases and restored mean temperature to the values in control newborns. Our findings demonstrate that prenatal melatonin is a Zeitgeber for the newborn temperature rhythm and supports normal body temperature maintenance. Altogether these prenatal melatonin effects highlight the physiological importance of the maternal melatonin rhythm during pregnancy for the newborn primate.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Serón-Ferré
- Programa de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
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55
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Nutritional regulation of fetal growth and implications for productive life in ruminants. Animal 2012; 4:1075-83. [PMID: 22444610 DOI: 10.1017/s1751731110000479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The maternal nutritional and metabolic environment is critical in determining not only the reproductive success but also the long-term health and viability of the offspring. Changes in maternal diet at defined stages of gestation coincident with different stages of development can have pronounced effects on organ and tissue function in later life. This includes adipose tissue for which differential effects are observed between brown and white adipose tissues. One early, critical window of organ development in the ruminant relates to the period covering uterine attachment, or implantation, and rapid placental growth. During this period, there is pronounced cell division within developing organelles in many fetal tissues, leading to their structural development. In sheep, a 50% global reduction in caloric intake over this specific period profoundly affects placental growth and morphology, resulting in reduced placentome weight. This occurs in conjunction with a lower capacity to inactivate maternal cortisol through the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 in response to a decrease in maternal plasma cortisol in early gestation. The birth weight of the offspring is, however, unaffected by this dietary manipulation and, although they possess more fat, this adaptation does not persist into adulthood when they become equally obese as those born to control fed mothers. Subsequently, after birth, further changes in fat development occur which impact on both glucocorticoid action and inflammatory responses. These adaptations can include changes in the relative populations of both brown and white adipocytes for which prolactin acting through its receptor appears to have a prominent role. Earlier when in utero nutrient restricted (i.e. between early-to-mid gestation) offspring are exposed to an obesogenic postnatal environment; they exhibit an exaggerated insulin response, which is accompanied by a range of amplified and thus, adverse, physiological or metabolic responses to obesity. These types of adaptations are in marked contrast to the effect of late gestational nutrient restriction, which results in reduced fat mass at birth. As young adults, however, fat mass is increased and, although basal insulin is unaffected, these offspring are insulin resistant. In conclusion, changes in nutrient supply to either the mother and/or her fetus can have profound effects on a range of metabolically important tissues. These have the potential to either exacerbate, or protect from, the adverse effects of later obesity and accompanying complications in the resulting offspring.
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56
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Lemley CO, Meyer AM, Camacho LE, Neville TL, Newman DJ, Caton JS, Vonnahme KA. Melatonin supplementation alters uteroplacental hemodynamics and fetal development in an ovine model of intrauterine growth restriction. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2012; 302:R454-67. [DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00407.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Using a mid- to late-gestation ovine model of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), we examined uteroplacental blood flow and fetal growth during melatonin supplementation as a 2 × 2 factorial design. At day 50 of gestation, 32 ewes were supplemented with 5 mg of melatonin (MEL) or no melatonin (CON) and were allocated to receive 100% [adequate; (ADQ)] or 60% [restricted (RES)] of nutrient requirements until day 130 of gestation. Umbilical artery blood flow was increased from day 60 to day 110 of gestation in MEL vs. CON dams, while umbilical artery blood flow was decreased from day 80 to day 110 of gestation in RES vs. ADQ dams. At day 130 of gestation, uteroplacental hemodynamics, measured under general anesthesia, and fetal growth were evaluated. Uterine artery blood flow was decreased in RES vs. ADQ dams, while melatonin supplementation did not affect uterine artery blood flow. Total placentome weight and placentome number were not different between treatment groups. Fetal weight was decreased by nutrient restriction. Abdominal girth and ponderal index were increased in fetuses from MEL-ADQ dams vs. all other groups. Fetal biparietal distance was decreased in CON-RES vs. CON-ADQ dams, while melatonin supplementation rescued fetal biparietal distance. Fetal kidney length and width were increased by maternal melatonin treatment. Fetal cardiomyocyte area was altered by both maternal melatonin treatment and nutritional plane. In summary, melatonin may negate the consequences of IUGR during specific abnormalities in umbilical blood flow as long as sufficient uterine blood perfusion is maintained during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caleb O. Lemley
- Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota
| | - Allison M. Meyer
- Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota
| | - Leticia E. Camacho
- Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota
| | - Tammi L. Neville
- Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota
| | - David J. Newman
- Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota
| | - Joel S. Caton
- Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota
| | - Kimberly A. Vonnahme
- Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota
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57
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Miller SL, Wallace EM, Walker DW. Antioxidant therapies: a potential role in perinatal medicine. Neuroendocrinology 2012; 96:13-23. [PMID: 22377769 DOI: 10.1159/000336378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2011] [Accepted: 12/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Pregnancies complicated by impaired placentation, acute severe reductions in oxygen supply to the fetus, or intrauterine infection are associated with oxidative stress to the mother and developing baby. Such oxidative stress is characterized as an upregulation in the production of oxidative or nitrative free radicals and a concomitant decrease in the availability of antioxidant species, thereby creating a state of fetoplacental oxidative imbalance. Recently, there has been a good deal of interest in the potential for the use of antioxidant therapies in the perinatal period to protect the fetus, particularly the developing brain, against oxidative stress in complications of pregnancy and birth. This review will examine why the immature brain is particularly susceptible to oxidative imbalance and will provide discussion on antioxidant treatments currently receiving attention in the adult and perinatal literature - allopurinol, melatonin, α-lipoic acid, and vitamins C and E. In addition, we aim to address the interaction between oxidative stress and the fetal inflammatory response, an interaction that may be vital when proposing antioxidant or other neuroprotective strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- S L Miller
- The Ritchie Centre, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Vic., Australia
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58
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Exogenous Melatonin Induces Simultaneous Stimulation of Pineal and Adrenocortical Function in Relation to Karyomorphology, Cell proliferation and Corticosterone Content in Male Mice (Mus musculus). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s12595-011-0016-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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59
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Rees S, Harding R, Walker D. The biological basis of injury and neuroprotection in the fetal and neonatal brain. Int J Dev Neurosci 2011; 29:551-63. [PMID: 21527338 PMCID: PMC3168707 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2011.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2011] [Accepted: 04/08/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A compromised intrauterine environment that delivers low levels of oxygen and/or nutrients, or is infected or inflammatory, can result in fetal brain injury, abnormal brain development and in cases of chronic compromise, intrauterine growth restriction. Preterm birth can also be associated with injury to the developing brain and affect the normal trajectory of brain growth. This review will focus on the effects that episodes of perinatal hypoxia (acute, chronic, associated with inflammation or as an antecedent of preterm birth) can have on the developing brain. In animal models of these conditions we have found that relatively brief (acute) periods of fetal hypoxemia can have significant effects on the fetal brain, for example death of susceptible neuronal populations (cerebellum, hippocampus, cortex) and cerebral white matter damage. Chronic placental insufficiency which includes fetal hypoxemia, nutrient restriction and altered endocrine status can result in fetal growth restriction and long-term deficits in neural connectivity in addition to altered postnatal function, for example in the auditory and visual systems. Maternal/fetal inflammation can result in fetal brain damage, particularly but not exclusively in the white matter; injury is more pronounced when associated with fetal hypoxemia. In the baboon, in which the normal trajectory of growth is affected by preterm birth, there is a direct correlation between a higher flux in oxygen saturation and a greater extent of neuropathological damage. Currently, the only established therapy for neonatal encephalopathy in full term neonates is moderate hypothermia although this only offers some protection to moderately but not severely affected brains. There is no accepted therapy for injured preterm brains. Consequently the search for more efficacious treatments continues; we discuss neuroprotective agents (erythropoietin, N-acetyl cysteine, melatonin, creatine, neurosteroids) which we have trialed in appropriate animal models. The possibility of combining hypothermia with such agents or growth factors is now being considered. A deeper understanding of causal pathways in brain injury is essential for the development of efficacious strategies for neuroprotection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Rees
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.
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60
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Simonneaux
- Département de Neurobiologie des Rythmes, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Unité Propre de Recherche Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 3212, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg Cedex, France.
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61
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Torres-Farfan C, Mendez N, Abarzua-Catalan L, Vilches N, Valenzuela GJ, Seron-Ferre M. A circadian clock entrained by melatonin is ticking in the rat fetal adrenal. Endocrinology 2011; 152:1891-900. [PMID: 21363938 DOI: 10.1210/en.2010-1260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The adrenal gland in the adult is a peripheral circadian clock involved in the coordination of energy intake and expenditure, required for adaptation to the external environment. During fetal life, a peripheral circadian clock is present in the nonhuman primate adrenal gland. Whether this extends to the fetal adrenal gland like the rat is unknown. Here we explored in vivo and in vitro whether the rat fetal adrenal is a peripheral circadian clock entrained by melatonin. We measured the 24-h changes in adrenal content of corticosterone and in the expression of clock genes Per-2 and Bmal-1 and of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), Mt1 melatonin receptor, and early growth response protein 1 (Egr-1) expression. In culture, we explored whether oscillatory expression of these genes persisted during 48 h and the effect of a 4-h melatonin pulse on their expression. In vivo, the rat fetal adrenal gland showed circadian expression of Bmal-1 and Per-2 in antiphase (acrophases at 2200 and 1300 h, respectively) as well as of Mt1 and Egr-1. This was accompanied by circadian rhythms of corticosterone content and of StAR expression both peaking at 0600 h. The 24-h oscillatory expression of Bmal-1, Per-2, StAR, Mt1, and Egr-1 persisted during 48 h in culture; however, the antiphase between Per-2 and Bmal-1 was lost. The pulse of melatonin shifted the acrophases of all the genes studied and restored the antiphase between Per-2 and Bmal-1. Thus, in the rat, the fetal adrenal is a strong peripheral clock potentially amenable to regulation by maternal melatonin.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Torres-Farfan
- Departamento de Fisiopatología, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 16038, Santiago 9, Santiago, Chile.
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