Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Developmental Endocrinology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1483364
This article is part of the Research Topic Maternal-Fetal interface: new insight in placenta research Volume II View all 7 articles

Umbilical vein remodeling is associated with pregestational maternal overweight

Provisionally accepted
Kamilla Batista da Silva Souza Kamilla Batista da Silva Souza 1Luana Caroline Hochberger Luana Caroline Hochberger 2,3Felippe Egon Castrignano Felippe Egon Castrignano 1Gabriely Santos Silva Gabriely Santos Silva 1Giovanna Castrignano Camargo Giovanna Castrignano Camargo 1João Pedro João Pedro 4Fernanda Cristina Alcantara Dos Santos Fernanda Cristina Alcantara Dos Santos 5Fernanda Regina Giachini Fernanda Regina Giachini 1,3,6*Nubia Souza Lobato Nubia Souza Lobato 4Paula Cristina De Souza Souto Paula Cristina De Souza Souto 1,3
  • 1 Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Barra do Garças, Brazil
  • 2 Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Brazil
  • 3 Araguaia Multi-User Research Center, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Barra do Garças, Brazil, Barra do Garças, Brazil
  • 4 Federal University of Jataí - UFJ, Jataí, Brazil
  • 5 Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
  • 6 Red Iberoamericana de alteraciones Vasculares Asociadas a TRastornos del EMbarazo (RIVA-TREM), Chillan, Chile

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Excess weight during pregnancy is a condition that can affect both mother and fetus, through the maternal-fetal interface, which is constituted by the placenta and umbilical cord. The umbilical vein is responsible for transporting oxygen and nutrients to the fetus, and its proper functioning depends on the integrity of its structure. The remodeling of the umbilical vein represents one of the causes of inadequate transport of nutrients to the fetus, being potentially harmful. This study aims to evaluate whether maternal overweight alters the structural characteristics of the umbilical vein. Umbilical cords were collected from eutrophic and overweight pregnant women and were processed according to histological routine. We analyzed morphometry parameters, collagen and elastin fibers deposition, glycosaminoglycan level, and cell proliferation. Veins from overweight pregnant women were found to have greater total area, wall area, wall thickness, and diameter. There was higher collagen labeling in the perivascular region of the overweight group and a higher amount of type III collagen in the vascular smooth muscle. The proliferation of muscle and perivascular cells was higher in overweight pregnant women. A positive, although weak, correlation was observed between BMI and vessel thickness and with type III collagen deposition in vascular smooth muscle. With this study, we show that overweight can structurally alter the umbilical vein, causing vascular remodeling of the vessel, through hypertrophy and hyperplasia.

    Keywords: Collagen fibers, Elastin fibers, glycosaminoglycans3, Ki-67, Umbilical Cord

    Received: 19 Aug 2024; Accepted: 29 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 da Silva Souza, Hochberger, Castrignano, Silva, Camargo, Pedro, Alcantara Dos Santos, Giachini, Lobato and Souto. 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: Fernanda Regina Giachini, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Barra do Garças, Brazil

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.