Gårdebjer E M, Cuffe J S M, Pantaleon M, Wlodek M E, Moritz K M
School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
The Department of Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Placenta. 2014 Jan;35(1):50-7. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2013.10.008. Epub 2013 Nov 5.
Alcohol consumption is a common social practice among women of childbearing age. With 50% of pregnancies being unplanned, many embryos are exposed to alcohol prior to pregnancy recognition and formation of the placenta. The effects of periconceptional (PC) alcohol exposure on the placenta are unknown.
Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to alcohol (12.5% v/v ad libitum) from 4 days prior to 4 days after conception and effects on placental growth, morphology and gene/protein expression examined at embryonic day (E) 20.
PC ethanol (EtOH)-exposed fetuses were growth restricted and their placental/body weight ratio and placental cross-sectional area were increased. This was associated with an increase in cross-sectional area of the junctional zone and glycogen cells, especially in PC EtOH-exposed placentas from female fetuses. Junctional Glut1 and Igf2 mRNA levels were increased. Labyrinth Igf1 mRNA levels were decreased in placentas from both sexes, but protein IGF1R levels were decreased in placentas from male fetuses only. Labyrinth mRNA levels of Slc38a2 were decreased and Vegfa were increased in placentas following PC EtOH-exposure but only placentas from female fetuses exhibited increased Kdr expression. Augmented expression of the protective enzyme 11βHsd2 was found in PC EtOH-exposed labyrinth.
These observations are consistent with a stress response, apparent well beyond the period of EtOH-exposure and demonstrate that PC EtOH alters placental development in a sex specific manner.
Public awareness should be increased to educate women about how excessive drinking even before falling pregnant may impact on placental development and fetal health.
饮酒是育龄女性常见的社会行为。由于50%的怀孕是意外怀孕，许多胚胎在怀孕确认和胎盘形成之前就已接触到酒精。受孕前后酒精暴露对胎盘的影响尚不清楚。
将Sprague-Dawley大鼠在受孕前4天至受孕后4天暴露于酒精（12.5% v/v，随意饮用），并在胚胎第20天检查对胎盘生长、形态以及基因/蛋白质表达的影响。
受孕前后暴露于乙醇（EtOH）的胎儿生长受限，其胎盘/体重比和胎盘横截面积增加。这与交界区和糖原细胞横截面积增加有关，尤其是在受孕前后暴露于EtOH的雌性胎儿的胎盘中。交界区Glut1和Igf2 mRNA水平升高。两性胎盘的迷路区Igf1 mRNA水平均降低，但仅雄性胎儿胎盘的蛋白质IGF1R水平降低。受孕前后暴露于EtOH后，胎盘的迷路区Slc38a2 mRNA水平降低，Vegfa升高，但只有雌性胎儿的胎盘Kdr表达增加。在受孕前后暴露于EtOH的迷路区发现保护性酶11βHsd2的表达增强。
这些观察结果与应激反应一致，这种反应明显超出了EtOH暴露期，并表明受孕前后暴露于EtOH会以性别特异性方式改变胎盘发育。
应提高公众意识，教育女性即使在怀孕前过度饮酒也可能对胎盘发育和胎儿健康产生影响。
