Vuguin Patricia M
Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
Horm Res. 2007;68(3):113-23. doi: 10.1159/000100545. Epub 2007 Mar 9.
Fetal growth retardation is a fetal adaptation in response to inadequate supply of oxygen and/or nutrients. Animal models of intrauterine growth retardation are an invaluable tool to question the genetic, molecular and cellular events that determine fetal growth and development. Rodent and non-litter bearing animals are mammalian system with similar embryology,anatomy and physiology to humans. Utilization of these systems has led to a greater understanding of the pathophysiology and consequences of intrauterine growth retardation. These observations are comparable to that observed in humans born small for gestational age, and are of interest because of the known association between poor fetal growth and development of adult disease. All the experimental manipulations described here have altered a number of metabolic and physiological variables, but the pattern of alterations seems to vary with the procedure and species employed. This review describes animal models for intrauterine growth retardation and assesses their potentials and limitations at aiming to improve strategies for the prevention of adult disease.
胎儿生长受限是胎儿对氧气和/或营养供应不足的一种适应性反应。宫内生长受限的动物模型是探究决定胎儿生长发育的遗传、分子和细胞事件的宝贵工具。啮齿动物和非群居动物是与人类胚胎学、解剖学和生理学相似的哺乳动物系统。利用这些系统使人们对宫内生长受限的病理生理学和后果有了更深入的了解。这些观察结果与足月小样儿出生时的情况相似,并且由于已知胎儿生长不良与成人疾病的发生有关,因而备受关注。这里描述的所有实验操作都改变了一些代谢和生理变量,但改变的模式似乎因所采用的程序和物种而异。本综述描述了宫内生长受限的动物模型,并评估了它们在旨在改进成人疾病预防策略方面的潜力和局限性。