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REVIEW article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Developmental Endocrinology
Volume 15 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1430334
This article is part of the Research Topic Vascular Dysfunction and Endocrine Disorders View all articles
Prenatal glucocorticoids exposure and adverse cardiovascular effects in offspring
Provisionally accepted- 1 Institute for Fetology, First Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- 2 Key Laboratory of Birth Regulation and Control Technology of National Health Commission, Shandong Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
- 3 Other, Fuyang, China
- 4 Other, Suzhou, China
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are steroid hormones fundamental to the body's normal physiological functions and are pivotal in fetal growth and development. During gestation, the mother's cortisol concentration (active GCs) escalates to accommodate the requirements of fetal organ development and maturation. A natural placental GCs barrier, primarily facilitated by 11β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2, exists between the mother and fetus. This enzyme transforms biologically active cortisol into biologically inactive corticosterone, thereby mitigating fetal GCs exposure. However, during pregnancy, the mother may be vulnerable to adverse factor exposures such as stress, hypoxia, caffeine, and synthetic GCs use. In these instances, maternal serum GCs levels may surge beyond the protective capacity of the placental GCs barrier.Moreover, these adverse factors could directly compromise the placental GCs barrier, resulting in excessive fetal exposure to GCs. It is well-documented that prenatal GCs exposure can detrimentally impact the offspring's cardiovascular system, particularly in relation to blood pressure, vascular function, and heart function. In this review, we succinctly delineate the alterations in GCs levels during pregnancy and the potential mechanisms driving these changes, and also analyze the possible causes of prenatal GCs exposure. Furthermore, we summarize the current advancements in understanding the adverse effects and mechanisms of prenatal GCs exposure on the offspring's cardiovascular system.
Keywords: Prenatal GCs exposure, 11β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2, Placental GCs barrier, Cardiovascular System, offspring
Received: 14 Jun 2024; Accepted: 30 Aug 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Zhao, He, Li, Deng, Zhang, Wang, Qiu and Gao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Qinqin Gao, Institute for Fetology, First Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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