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Karahoda R, Vachalova V, Portillo R, Mahrla F, Viñas-Noguera M, Abad C, Staud F. Developmental expression of catecholamine system in the human placenta and rat fetoplacental unit. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6948. [PMID: 38521816 PMCID: PMC10960862 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57481-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Catecholamines norepinephrine and dopamine have been implicated in numerous physiological processes within the central nervous system. Emerging evidence has highlighted the importance of tightly regulated monoamine levels for placental functions and fetal development. However, the complexities of synthesis, release, and regulation of catecholamines in the fetoplacental unit have not been fully unraveled. In this study, we investigated the expression of enzymes and transporters involved in synthesis, degradation, and transport of norepinephrine and dopamine in the human placenta and rat fetoplacental unit. Quantitative PCR and Western blot analyses were performed in early-to-late gestation in humans (first trimester vs. term placenta) and mid-to-late gestation in rats (placenta and fetal brain, intestines, liver, lungs, and heart). In addition, we analyzed the gene expression patterns in isolated primary trophoblast cells from the human placenta and placenta-derived cell lines (HRP-1, BeWo, JEG-3). In both human and rat placentas, the study identifies the presence of only PNMT, COMT, and NET at the mRNA and protein levels, with the expression of PNMT and NET showing gestational age dependency. On the other hand, rat fetal tissues consistently express the catecholamine pathway genes, revealing distinct developmental expression patterns. Lastly, we report significant transcriptional profile variations in different placental cell models, emphasizing the importance of careful model selection for catecholamine metabolism/transport studies. Collectively, integrating findings from humans and rats enhances our understanding of the dynamic regulatory mechanisms that underlie catecholamine dynamics during pregnancy. We identified similar patterns in both species across gestation, suggesting conserved molecular mechanisms and potentially shedding light on shared biological processes influencing placental development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rona Karahoda
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Vachalova
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ramon Portillo
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Filip Mahrla
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Mireia Viñas-Noguera
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Cilia Abad
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Frantisek Staud
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
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MacLachlan JN, Hemstreet S, Matushewski B, McCallum JD, Richardson BS. Induced hyper and hypo amino acidemia in the ovine fetus near term: effects on electrocortical activity. Reprod Sci 2008; 15:710-9. [PMID: 18492695 DOI: 10.1177/1933719108317152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Amino acid infusate (Primene) and insulin euglycemic (insulin + 10% dextrose) clamp techniques were used in the ovine fetus near term and the impact on the incidence of low-voltage and high-voltage electrocortical (ECOG) activities was determined. Fetal sheep were studied over a 2-hour control period and a subsequent 6-hour experimental period.With the Primene infusion, the basic and neutral amino acids were increased by 43% and 25%, respectively, whereas the acidic amino acids showed little change. With the insulin/dextrose infusion, the basic and neutral amino acids decreased by 48% and 30%, respectively, whereas the acidic amino acids were again little changed. A small fall in arterial oxygen saturation and an increase in fetal heart rate for both groups can be attributed to an insulin-mediated increase in fetal metabolic rate. Despite the moderate increases and decreases in circulating amino acid levels, there was no significant change in the mean percent time or duration of fetal ECOG activities for either study group.
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Affiliation(s)
- James N MacLachlan
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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3
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Reppert SM. Interaction between the circadian clocks of mother and fetus. CIBA FOUNDATION SYMPOSIUM 2007; 183:198-207; discussion 207-11. [PMID: 7656686 DOI: 10.1002/9780470514597.ch11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In mammals, a unidirectional communication exists between the biological clocks of the mother and fetus. As a biological clock begins oscillating in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the fetus, redundant circadian signals entrain the fetal clock to the prevailing light-dark cycle. Recent studies have revealed an activatable dopamine system within the fetal hypothalamus which may serve as a final common pathway by which maternal signals entrain the fetus. An entrained biological clock during fetal life makes the developing mammal better prepared for life in the outside world.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Reppert
- Laboratory of Developmental Chronobiology, Children's Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
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Santana C, Martin L, Valladares F, Diaz-Flores L, Santana-Herrera C, Milena A, Rodríguez Díaz M. Tryptophan ingestion by pregnant rats induces pituitary and mammary tumours in the adult female offspring. Hum Reprod 1999; 14:2155-61. [PMID: 10438443 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/14.8.2155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study was designed to evaluate the long-term consequences of tryptophan treatment on the central serotonergic activity in the female offspring of rats, and particularly on serotonin-controlled hormone release. During the second half of gestation, tryptophan (200 mg/kg/day) was given daily by stomach intubation to pregnant rats and the brain concentrations of serotonin and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid and the plasma concentrations of prolactin, progesterone, oestradiol and luteinizing hormone were quantified in the adult female offspring. The offspring showed an increase in hypothalamic serotonin and serum progesterone and prolactin. In addition, maternal ingestion of tryptophan induced a marked rise in 665-day-old offspring in the incidence of both pituitary prolactinomas (62%) and mammary adenomas (49%). Present data suggest that tryptophan regulates serotonergic differentiation during early development. A transitory modification of the tryptophan concentration in the fetal brain induces a permanent increase in hypothalamic serotonin level and, in addition to modifying the release of prolactin, increases the incidence of tumours in the hypophysis and mammary gland.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Santana
- Department of Psychobiology of the School of Psychology, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
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Martin L, Rodríguez Díaz M, Santana-Herrera C, Milena A, Santana C. Tryptophan ingestion by gestant mothers alters prolactin and luteinizing hormone release in the adult male offspring. Brain Res 1997; 774:265-8. [PMID: 9452223 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(97)81718-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The effect of tryptophan administration to pregnant rats on the development of serotonergic systems and serotonin-related hormones in the offspring was studied. The male offspring of rats treated with tryptophan (200 mg/kg/day) during the second half of gestation showed a 4- to 7-fold increase in serum prolactin 40 and 70 days after birth and a 2-fold increase in serum luteinizing hormone 70 days after birth. The forebrain of adult offspring of tryptophan-treated rats showed an increase in serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels. Present data suggest that tryptophan regulates serotonergic differentiation during early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Martin
- Canarian University Hospital, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
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Rodriguez M, Santana C, Afonso D. Maternal ingestion of tyrosine during rat pregnancy modifies the offspring behavioral lateralization. Physiol Behav 1994; 55:607-13. [PMID: 8190784 DOI: 10.1016/0031-9384(94)90033-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
It was previously reported that oral administration of tyrosine (500 mg/kg) to pregnant rats increases tyrosine and monoamines level in the fetal brain and modifies locomotion during postnatal life. In the present study, it was found that this treatment alters behavioral lateralization in the offspring. Neonatal rats whose mothers received tyrosine during the second half of gestation showed a low level of absolute and population laterality in both tail and head movements. The alteration of behavioral lateralization was also found during postnatal development and during adulthood. The T-maze behavioral ontogeny was different for tyrosine-mother and sham-treated or untreated mother rats. During adulthood, the T-max lateralization after stress sessions (a procedure that decreases alternation behavior and facilitates the quantification of behavioral lateralization) was also different in control and tyrosine-mother groups. Neonatal and adult rats showed an increase in right-side movements probability. These data provide evidence that maternal ingestion of a catecholamine precursor during gestation may induce a long-lasting modification of the behavioral lateralization of the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rodriguez
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
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Santana C, Martin L, Rodriguez Diaz M. Tyrosine ingestion during rat pregnancy alters postnatal development of dopaminergic neurons in the offspring. Brain Res 1994; 635:96-102. [PMID: 8173984 DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(94)91427-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
It has been previously reported that tyrosine ingestion by the mother rat during gestation modifies different behavioral patterns in the adult offspring. In the present study, the action of maternal mother tyrosine ingestion on the postnatal development of the dopaminergic system of the offspring was evaluated. The offspring of tyrosine-treated mothers showed a decrease in dopamine (DA) levels during the first 15 days of postnatal life and an increase in DA levels from day 30 to adulthood. The DOPAC level and the DOPAC/DA index were higher in the tyrosine group from postnatal life to adulthood. These differences reach statistical significance in both forebrain and mesencephalon. During adulthood the DA concentration in both s. nigra and ventral tegmental area were higher in the tyrosine group than in the control group. The behavioral postsynaptic response to a DA receptor agonist (apomorphine) was higher in the offspring of tyrosine treated rats than in the control group. These data suggest that the bioavailability of the DA precursor tyrosine during gestation may modify during postnatal life DA synapsis at both pre- and postsynaptic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Santana
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
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Weaver DR, Rivkees SA, Reppert SM. D1-dopamine receptors activate c-fos expression in the fetal suprachiasmatic nuclei. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1992; 89:9201-4. [PMID: 1384044 PMCID: PMC50093 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.89.19.9201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The existence of an activatable dopamine system within the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), the site of a biological clock, was investigated in rats during fetal life. In situ hybridization studies revealed that D1-dopamine receptor mRNA was highly expressed in the fetal SCN and not expressed in other hypothalamic regions. Cocaine injected into pregnant rats or directly into rat fetuses on day 20 of gestation selectively activated c-fos gene expression in the fetal SCN; cocaine did not induce c-fos expression elsewhere in the fetal brain or in the maternal SCN. This cocaine-induced activation of c-fos expression in fetal SCN was mediated in part through D1-dopamine receptors, as the cocaine-induced activation was partially blocked by the D1-dopamine receptor antagonist SCH 23390. In addition, the selective D1-dopamine receptor agonist SKF 38393 induced high levels of c-fos expression in the fetal SCN. The presence of an activatable dopamine system within the fetal SCN provides a mechanism through which maternal signals could entrain the fetal biological clock and through which maternally administered psychotropic drugs could alter normal development of the circadian timing system.
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Affiliation(s)
- D R Weaver
- Laboratory of Developmental Chronobiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114
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Santana C, Rodriguez M, Afonso D, Arevalo R. Dopaminergic neuron development in rats: biochemical study from prenatal life to adulthood. Brain Res Bull 1992; 29:7-13. [PMID: 1380403 DOI: 10.1016/0361-9230(92)90003-g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Dopaminergic cell development has been studied mainly using morphological techniques and especially histofluorescence. However, the biochemical characteristics of dopamine (DA) neuron development and its physiological role during ontogeny are much less known. In the present article, the biochemical development of DA neurons, from day 13 of prenatal life to adulthood, is evaluated in Sprague-Dawley rats. DA was first detected on day 14 of gestation. The brain increase in this neurotransmitter begins on day 17 in the proencephalon and on day 18 in the mesencephalon, reaching on day 20 a level similar to that found during adulthood in the latter but not in the former. DA levels in the proencephalon rise slowly to adulthood level when compared to DA in the mesencephalon. The modifications observed in tyrosine levels are also largely similar to those reported for DA. Finally, the study of the first 48 h of life shows an increase in tyrosine levels and a decrease in dihydroxyphenylacetic acid levels (with a reduction of DA turnover) during the first 4-5 h of postnatal life. Since the serotonergic modification was completely different from DA modification, we conclude that the biochemical alteration of DA neurons during early postnatal development is specific. The present data suggest that DA neurons play different roles before and after reaching adult development.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Santana
- Department of Psychobiology, School of Psychology, University of La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain
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Abstract
A 25-year-old woman with tyrosinaemia type II was treated from the 5th week of pregnancy with a protein-restricted diet supplemented with a tyrosine/phenylalanine-free amino acid mixture. Tyrosine concentrations were maintained in the range 100-200 mumol/l by restricting natural protein intake to 0.16 g/kg per 24 h in early pregnancy, with increases up to 0.38 g/kg per 24 h in the last trimester. This treatment maintained plasma phenylalanine concentrations in the range 20-40 mumol/l. Maternal weight gain and fetal growth were normal, and the mother remained asymptomatic throughout the pregnancy. A normal infant was born at term with length, weight and head circumference between the 25-50th per centiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Francis
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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11
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Arevalo R, Afonso D, Castro R, Rodriguez M. Fetal brain serotonin synthesis and catabolism is under control by mother intake of tryptophan. Life Sci 1991; 49:53-66. [PMID: 1711141 DOI: 10.1016/0024-3205(91)90579-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous morphological studies reported that serotonergic neurons appear in rats in the second half of prenatal life. Initially the biochemical differentiation of these neurons before birth was studied. Both serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) was detected in the fetal brain on day 15 of gestation. During prenatal development an increase was detected in the brain levels of 5-HT (200% higher on day 19 than on day 15) and 5-HIAA (700% higher on day 19 than on day 15). Oral administration of tryptophan to pregnant rats induced a dose-related increase of tryptophan concentration in different fetal tissues, including brain. The increase in tryptophan tissue concentration was detected for low doses (50 mg/kg) and remained unsaturated after administration of high doses (1000 mg/kg). This observation suggests that the placental barrier is not effective to block the influx of high levels of tryptophan to the fetus. Tryptophan concentration in the brain is 300% higher than in the carcass and 600% higher than in the placenta. These data suggest a mechanism to assume a role in concentrating of tryptophan in the brain. Finally, it was found that an increase in brain tryptophan induced changes in both serotonin and 5-HIAA brain levels, but did not modify tyrosine, dopamine or norepinephrine levels. Thus, under physiological conditions, tryptophan hydroxylase activity in prenatal brain is probably not saturated by its substrate tryptophan.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Arevalo
- Department of Psychobiology, Psychology School, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain
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Afonso D, Castellanos MA, Rodriguez M. Determination of monoamines and indoles in amniotic fluid by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection. JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY 1990; 528:101-9. [PMID: 1696583 DOI: 10.1016/s0378-4347(00)82366-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
A technique is presented for the separation and detection in amniotic fluid of various substances associated with catecholamine metabolism. Monoamines and their metabolites were separated using reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography. Detection and quantification were performed electrochemically. The retention times of 28 standards associated with the monoamines and their precursors and metabolites were evaluated with 14 different eluents. On the basis of the retention times of each standard and the modification of the retention times of the various peaks detected in amniotic fluid, the following substances were identified in this biological fluid: 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylacetic acid, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol, epinephrine, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymandelic acid, octopamine, tyrosine and tryptophan.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Afonso
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain
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