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Zazara DE, Giannou O, Schepanski S, Pagenkemper M, Giannou AD, Pincus M, Belios I, Bonn S, Muntau AC, Hecher K, Diemert A, Arck PC. Fetal lung growth predicts the risk for early-life respiratory infections and childhood asthma. World J Pediatr 2024; 20:481-495. [PMID: 38261172 PMCID: PMC11136800 DOI: 10.1007/s12519-023-00782-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early-life respiratory infections and asthma are major health burdens during childhood. Markers predicting an increased risk for early-life respiratory diseases are sparse. Here, we identified the predictive value of ultrasound-monitored fetal lung growth for the risk of early-life respiratory infections and asthma. METHODS Fetal lung size was serially assessed at standardized time points by transabdominal ultrasound in pregnant women participating in a pregnancy cohort. Correlations between fetal lung growth and respiratory infections in infancy or early-onset asthma at five years were examined. Machine-learning models relying on extreme gradient boosting regressor or classifier algorithms were developed to predict respiratory infection or asthma risk based on fetal lung growth. For model development and validation, study participants were randomly divided into a training and a testing group, respectively, by the employed algorithm. RESULTS Enhanced fetal lung growth throughout pregnancy predicted a lower early-life respiratory infection risk. Male sex was associated with a higher risk for respiratory infections in infancy. Fetal lung growth could also predict the risk of asthma at five years of age. We designed three machine-learning models to predict the risk and number of infections in infancy as well as the risk of early-onset asthma. The models' R2 values were 0.92, 0.90 and 0.93, respectively, underscoring a high accuracy and agreement between the actual and predicted values. Influential variables included known risk factors and novel predictors, such as ultrasound-monitored fetal lung growth. CONCLUSION Sonographic monitoring of fetal lung growth allows to predict the risk for early-life respiratory infections and asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitra E Zazara
- Division for Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Martinistraße 52, 20251, Hamburg, Germany
- University Children's Hospital, UKE, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Olympia Giannou
- Computer Engineering and Informatics Department, Polytechnic School, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Steven Schepanski
- Division for Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Martinistraße 52, 20251, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute of Developmental Neurophysiology, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg (ZMNH), UKE, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Anastasios D Giannou
- Department of General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery, UKE, Hamburg, Germany
- Section of Molecular Immunology and Gastroenterology, I. Department of Medicine, UKE, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maike Pincus
- Pediatrics and Pediatric Pneumology Practice, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ioannis Belios
- Division for Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Martinistraße 52, 20251, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Bonn
- Institute of Medical Systems Biology, ZMNH, UKE, Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Center for Translational Immunology, UKE, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ania C Muntau
- University Children's Hospital, UKE, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kurt Hecher
- Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, UKE, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anke Diemert
- Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, UKE, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Petra Clara Arck
- Division for Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Martinistraße 52, 20251, Hamburg, Germany.
- Hamburg Center for Translational Immunology, UKE, Hamburg, Germany.
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2
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Adgent MA, Buth E, Noroña-Zhou A, Szpiro AA, Loftus CT, Moore PE, Wright RJ, Barrett ES, LeWinn KZ, Zhao Q, Nguyen R, Karr CJ, Bush NR, Carroll KN. Maternal stressful life events during pregnancy and childhood asthma and wheeze. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2024; 132:594-601.e3. [PMID: 38122928 PMCID: PMC11069451 DOI: 10.1016/j.anai.2023.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies have linked prenatal maternal psychosocial stress to childhood wheeze/asthma but have rarely investigated factors that may mitigate risks. OBJECTIVE To investigate associations between prenatal stress and childhood wheeze/asthma, evaluating factors that may modify stress effects. METHODS Participants included 2056 mother-child dyads from Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-PATHWAYS, a consortium of 3 prospective pregnancy cohorts (the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood study, The Infant Development and Environment Study, and a subset of the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth study) from 6 cities. Maternal stressful life events experienced during pregnancy (PSLEs) were reported using the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System Stressful Life Events questionnaire. Parents reported child wheeze/asthma outcomes at age 4 to 6 years using standardized questionnaires. We defined outcomes as ever asthma, current wheeze, current asthma, and strict asthma. We used modified Poisson regression with robust standard errors (SEs) to estimate risk ratios (RRs) and 95% CI per 1-unit increase in PSLE, adjusting for confounders. We evaluated effect modification by child sex, maternal history of asthma, maternal childhood traumatic life events, neighborhood-level resources, and breastfeeding. RESULTS Overall, we observed significantly elevated risk for current wheeze with increasing PSLE (RR, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.03-1.14]), but not for other outcomes. We observed significant effect modification by child sex for strict asthma (P interaction = .03), in which risks were elevated in boys (RR, 1.10 [95% CI, 1.02-1.19]) but not in girls. For all other outcomes, risks were significantly elevated in boys and not in girls, although there was no statistically significant evidence of effect modification. We observed no evidence of effect modification by other factors (P interactions > .05). CONCLUSION Risk of adverse childhood respiratory outcomes is higher with increasing maternal PSLEs, particularly in boys.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erin Buth
- University of Washington, Seattle WA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Emily S. Barrett
- Rutgers School of Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute; Piscataway NJ
| | - Kaja Z. LeWinn
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco CA
| | - Qi Zhao
- University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis TN
| | | | | | - Nicole R. Bush
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco CA
| | - Kecia N. Carroll
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY
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3
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Vafaee F, Shirzad S, Shamsi F, Boskabady MH. Neuroscience and treatment of asthma, new therapeutic strategies and future aspects. Life Sci 2021; 292:120175. [PMID: 34826435 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.120175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Asthma is an airway inflammatory disease that is affected by neurological and psychological factors. The aim of present review is to investigating the relationship between neural functions and neurobiological changes and asthma symptoms. MAIN METHODS The information in this article is provided from articles published in English and reputable database using appropriate keywords from 1970 to October 2020. KEY FINDINGS The symptoms of asthma such as cough, difficult breathing, and mucus secretion get worse when a person is suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression. The function of the insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis changes in response to stress and psychological disease; then the stress hormones are produced from neuroendocrine system, which leads to asthma exacerbation. The evidence represents that psychological therapies or neurological rehabilitation reduces the inflammation through modulating the activity of neurocircuitry and the function of brain centers involved in asthma. Moreover, the neurotrophins and neuropeptides are the key mediators in the neuro-immune interactions, which secrete from the airway nerves in response to brain signals, and they could be the target of many new therapies in asthma. SIGNIFICANCE This review provides an insight into the vital role of the central and peripheral nervous system in development and exacerbation of asthma and provides practical approaches and strategies on neural networks to improve the airway inflammation and asthma severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzaneh Vafaee
- Neuroscience Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Shima Shirzad
- Neuroscience Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Shamsi
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; Neuroscience Laboratory (Brain, Cognition and Behavior), Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hossein Boskabady
- Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
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4
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Zazara DE, Wegmann M, Giannou AD, Hierweger AM, Alawi M, Thiele K, Huber S, Pincus M, Muntau AC, Solano ME, Arck PC. A prenatally disrupted airway epithelium orchestrates the fetal origin of asthma in mice. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2020; 145:1641-1654. [PMID: 32305348 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2020.01.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 12/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal challenges such as maternal stress perception increase the risk and severity of asthma during childhood. However, insights into the trajectories and targets underlying the pathogenesis of prenatally triggered asthma are largely unknown. The developing lung and immune system may constitute such targets. OBJECTIVE Here we have aimed to identify the differential sex-specific effects of prenatal challenges on lung function, immune response, and asthma severity in mice. METHODS We generated bone marrow chimeric (BMC) mice harboring either prenatally stress-exposed lungs or a prenatally stress-exposed immune (hematopoietic) system and induced allergic asthma via ovalbumin. Next-generation sequencing (RNA sequencing) of lungs and assessment of airway epithelial barrier function in ovalbumin-sensitized control and prenatally stressed offspring was also performed. RESULTS Profoundly enhanced airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation, and fibrosis were exclusively present in female BMC mice with prenatally stress-exposed lungs. These effects were significantly perpetuated if both the lungs and the immune system had been exposed to prenatal stress. A prenatally stress-exposed immune system alone did not suffice to increase the severity of these asthma features. RNA sequencing analysis of lungs from prenatally stressed, non-BMC, ovalbumin-sensitized females unveiled a deregulated expression of genes involved in asthma pathogenesis, tissue remodeling, and tight junction formation. It was also possible to independently confirm a tight junction disruption. In line with this, we identified an altered perinatal and/or postnatal expression of genes involved in lung development along with an impaired alveolarization in female prenatally stressed mice. CONCLUSION Here we have shown that the fetal origin of asthma is orchestrated by a disrupted airway epithelium and further perpetuated by a predisposed immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitra E Zazara
- Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, Laboratory for Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Wegmann
- Division of Asthma Exacerbation & Regulation, Priority Area Asthma and Allergy, Leibniz Lung Center Borstel, Airway Research Center North, Member of the German Center for Lung Research, Borstel, Germany
| | - Anastasios D Giannou
- I. Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alexandra Maximiliane Hierweger
- Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, Laboratory for Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Institute for Immunology, Center for Diagnostics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Malik Alawi
- Bioinformatics Core, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kristin Thiele
- Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, Laboratory for Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Samuel Huber
- I. Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maike Pincus
- Pediatrics and Pediatric Pneumology Practice, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ania C Muntau
- University Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria Emilia Solano
- Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, Laboratory for Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Petra C Arck
- Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, Laboratory for Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
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5
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Lee AG, Kaali S, Quinn A, Delimini R, Burkart K, Opoku-Mensah J, Wylie BJ, Yawson AK, Kinney PL, Ae-Ngibise KA, Chillrud S, Jack D, Asante KP. Prenatal Household Air Pollution Is Associated with Impaired Infant Lung Function with Sex-Specific Effects. Evidence from GRAPHS, a Cluster Randomized Cookstove Intervention Trial. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020; 199:738-746. [PMID: 30256656 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201804-0694oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
RATIONALE Approximately 2.8 billion people are exposed daily to household air pollution from polluting cookstoves. The effects of prenatal household air pollution on lung development are unknown. OBJECTIVES To prospectively examine associations between prenatal household air pollution and infant lung function and pneumonia in rural Ghana. METHODS Prenatal household air pollution exposure was indexed by serial maternal carbon monoxide personal exposure measurements. Using linear regression, we examined associations between average prenatal carbon monoxide and infant lung function at age 30 days, first in the entire cohort (n = 384) and then stratified by sex. Quasi-Poisson generalized additive models explored associations between infant lung function and pneumonia. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Multivariable linear regression models showed that average prenatal carbon monoxide exposure was associated with reduced time to peak tidal expiratory flow to expiratory time (β = -0.004; P = 0.01), increased respiratory rate (β = 0.28; P = 0.01), and increased minute ventilation (β = 7.21; P = 0.05), considered separately, per 1 ppm increase in average prenatal carbon monoxide. Sex-stratified analyses suggested that girls were particularly vulnerable (time to peak tidal expiratory flow to expiratory time: β = -0.003, P = 0.05; respiratory rate: β = 0.36, P = 0.01; minute ventilation: β = 11.25, P = 0.01; passive respiratory compliance normalized for body weight: β = 0.005, P = 0.01). Increased respiratory rate at age 30 days was associated with increased risk for physician-assessed pneumonia (relative risk, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.04) and severe pneumonia (relative risk, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.08) in the first year of life. CONCLUSIONS Increased prenatal household air pollution exposure is associated with impaired infant lung function. Altered infant lung function may increase risk for pneumonia in the first year of life. These findings have implications for future respiratory health. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 01335490).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison G Lee
- 1 Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Seyram Kaali
- 2 Kintampo Health Research Centre, Ghana Health Service, Brong Ahafo Region, Kintampo, Ghana
| | - Ashlinn Quinn
- 3 Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Rupert Delimini
- 4 Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Services, Volta Region, Ghana
| | - Katrin Burkart
- 5 Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Jones Opoku-Mensah
- 2 Kintampo Health Research Centre, Ghana Health Service, Brong Ahafo Region, Kintampo, Ghana
| | - Blair J Wylie
- 6 Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massacusetts
| | - Abena Konadu Yawson
- 2 Kintampo Health Research Centre, Ghana Health Service, Brong Ahafo Region, Kintampo, Ghana
| | - Patrick L Kinney
- 7 Department of Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; and
| | - Kenneth A Ae-Ngibise
- 2 Kintampo Health Research Centre, Ghana Health Service, Brong Ahafo Region, Kintampo, Ghana
| | - Steven Chillrud
- 8 Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, Palisades, New York
| | - Darby Jack
- 5 Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Kwaku Poku Asante
- 2 Kintampo Health Research Centre, Ghana Health Service, Brong Ahafo Region, Kintampo, Ghana
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6
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Role of early life immune regulation in asthma development. Semin Immunopathol 2019; 42:29-42. [PMID: 31873782 PMCID: PMC7079989 DOI: 10.1007/s00281-019-00774-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Development of childhood asthma is complex with a strong interaction of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Ultimately, it is critical how the immune system of a child responds to these influences and whether effective strategies for a balanced and healthy immune maturation can be assured. Pregnancy and early childhood are particularly susceptible for exogenous influences due to the developing nature of a child’s immune system. While endogenous influences such as family history and the genetic background are immutable, epigenetic regulations can be modulated by both heredity and environmental exposures. Prenatal influences such as a mother’s nutrition, smoking, or infections influence the complex interplay of innate and adaptive immune regulation as well as peri- and postnatal influences including mode of delivery. Early in life, induction and continuous training of healthy maturation include balanced innate immunity (e.g., via innate lymphoid cells) and an equilibrium of T-cell subpopulations (e.g., via regulatory T cells) to counter-regulate potential pro-inflammatory or exuberant immune reactions. Later in childhood, rather compensatory immune mechanisms are required to modulate deviant regulation of a child’s already primed immune trajectory. The specific effects of exogenous and endogenous influences on a child’s maturing immune system are summarized in this review, and its importance and potential intervention for early prevention and treatment strategies are delineated.
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7
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Lignelli E, Palumbo F, Myti D, Morty RE. Recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms of lung alveolarization and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2019; 317:L832-L887. [PMID: 31596603 DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00369.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. A key histopathological feature of BPD is stunted late lung development, where the process of alveolarization-the generation of alveolar gas exchange units-is impeded, through mechanisms that remain largely unclear. As such, there is interest in the clarification both of the pathomechanisms at play in affected lungs, and the mechanisms of de novo alveoli generation in healthy, developing lungs. A better understanding of normal and pathological alveolarization might reveal opportunities for improved medical management of affected infants. Furthermore, disturbances to the alveolar architecture are a key histopathological feature of several adult chronic lung diseases, including emphysema and fibrosis, and it is envisaged that knowledge about the mechanisms of alveologenesis might facilitate regeneration of healthy lung parenchyma in affected patients. To this end, recent efforts have interrogated clinical data, developed new-and refined existing-in vivo and in vitro models of BPD, have applied new microscopic and radiographic approaches, and have developed advanced cell-culture approaches, including organoid generation. Advances have also been made in the development of other methodologies, including single-cell analysis, metabolomics, lipidomics, and proteomics, as well as the generation and use of complex mouse genetics tools. The objective of this review is to present advances made in our understanding of the mechanisms of lung alveolarization and BPD over the period 1 January 2017-30 June 2019, a period that spans the 50th anniversary of the original clinical description of BPD in preterm infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ettore Lignelli
- Department of Lung Development and Remodeling, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine (Pulmonology), University of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, member of the German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany
| | - Francesco Palumbo
- Department of Lung Development and Remodeling, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine (Pulmonology), University of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, member of the German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany
| | - Despoina Myti
- Department of Lung Development and Remodeling, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine (Pulmonology), University of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, member of the German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany
| | - Rory E Morty
- Department of Lung Development and Remodeling, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine (Pulmonology), University of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, member of the German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany
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8
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Wieczorek A, Perani CV, Nixon M, Constancia M, Sandovici I, Zazara DE, Leone G, Zhang MZ, Arck PC, Solano ME. Sex-specific regulation of stress-induced fetal glucocorticoid surge by the mouse placenta. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2019; 317:E109-E120. [PMID: 30990748 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00551.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Antenatal stress increases the prevalence of diseases in later life, which shows a strong sex-specific effect. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Maternal glucocorticoids can be elevated by stress and are potential candidates to mediate the effects of stress on the offspring sex-specifically. A comprehensive evaluation of dynamic maternal and placental mechanisms modulating fetal glucocorticoid exposure upon maternal stress was long overdue. Here, we addressed this gap in knowledge by investigating sex-specific responses to midgestational stress in mice. We observed increased levels of maternal corticosterone, the main glucocorticoid in rodents, along with higher corticosteroid-binding globulin levels at midgestation in C57Bl/6 dams exposed to sound stress. This resulted in elevated corticosterone in female fetuses, whereas male offspring were unaffected. We identified that increased placental expression of the glucocorticoid-inactivating enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2; Hsd11b2 gene) and ATP-binding cassette transporters, which mediate glucocorticoid efflux toward maternal circulation, protect male offspring from maternal glucocorticoid surges. We generated mice with an Hsd11b2 placental-specific disruption (Hsd11b2PKO) and observed moderately elevated corticosterone levels in offspring, along with increased body weight. Subsequently, we assessed downstream glucocorticoid receptors and observed a sex-specific differential modulation of placental Tsc22d3 expression, which encodes the glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper protein in response to stress. Taken together, our observations highlight the existence of unique and well-orchestrated mechanisms that control glucocorticoid transfer, exposure, and metabolism in the mouse placenta, pinpointing toward the existence of sex-specific fetal glucocorticoid exposure windows during gestation in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes Wieczorek
- Department for Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Clara V Perani
- Department for Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mark Nixon
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research Institute , Edinburgh , United Kingdom
| | - Miguel Constancia
- University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrookes Hospital , Cambridge , United Kingdom
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and National Institute for Health Research, Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre , Cambridge , United Kingdom
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge , Cambridge , United Kingdom
| | - Ionel Sandovici
- University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrookes Hospital , Cambridge , United Kingdom
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and National Institute for Health Research, Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre , Cambridge , United Kingdom
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge , Cambridge , United Kingdom
| | - Dimitra E Zazara
- Department for Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Gustavo Leone
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina , Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Ming-Zhi Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center , Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Petra C Arck
- Department for Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - María Emilia Solano
- Department for Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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9
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Teferra AA, Vonk JM, Boezen HM. Sex, smoking and body mass index: do they aid in uncovering the complex mechanisms behind airway hyperresponsiveness? Expert Rev Respir Med 2018; 12:989-991. [PMID: 30362836 DOI: 10.1080/17476348.2018.1541741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas A Teferra
- a Department of Epidemiology , University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen , Groningen , The Netherlands.,b GRIAC Research Institute , University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen , Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Judith M Vonk
- a Department of Epidemiology , University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen , Groningen , The Netherlands.,b GRIAC Research Institute , University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen , Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - H Marike Boezen
- a Department of Epidemiology , University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen , Groningen , The Netherlands.,b GRIAC Research Institute , University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen , Groningen , The Netherlands
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10
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Zazara DE, Arck PC. Developmental origin and sex-specific risk for infections and immune diseases later in life. Semin Immunopathol 2018; 41:137-151. [DOI: 10.1007/s00281-018-0713-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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