Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.
EGA Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London WC1E 6HX, UK.
Nutrients. 2022 May 30;14(11):2304. doi: 10.3390/nu14112304.
Glucocorticoids have an important role in development of the metabolic phenotype in utero. They act as environmental and maturational signals in adapting feto-placental metabolism to maximize the chances of survival both before and at birth. They influence placental nutrient handling and fetal metabolic processes to support fetal growth, fuel storage and energy production with respect to nutrient availability. More specifically, they regulate the transport, utilization and production of a range of nutrients by the feto-placental tissues that enables greater metabolic flexibility in utero while minimizing any further drain on maternal resources during periods of stress. Near term, the natural rise in fetal glucocorticoid concentrations also stimulates key metabolic adaptations that prepare tissues for the new energy demanding functions after birth. Glucocorticoids, therefore, have a central role in the metabolic communication between the mother, placenta and fetus that optimizes offspring metabolic phenotype for survival to reproductive age. This review discusses the effects of maternal and fetal glucocorticoids on the supply and utilization of nutrients by the feto-placental tissues with particular emphasis on studies using quantitative methods to assess metabolism in rodents and sheep in vivo during late pregnancy. It considers the routes of glucocorticoid overexposure in utero, including experimental administration of synthetic glucocorticoids, and the mechanisms by which these hormones control feto-placental metabolism at the molecular, cellular and systems levels. It also briefly examines the consequences of intrauterine glucocorticoid overexposure for postnatal metabolic health and the generational inheritance of metabolic phenotype.
糖皮质激素在胎儿期代谢表型的发育中起着重要作用。它们作为环境和成熟信号，调节胎-胎盘代谢以适应出生前和出生时的生存机会。它们影响胎盘营养处理和胎儿代谢过程，以支持胎儿生长、燃料储存和能量产生，以适应营养供应。更具体地说，它们调节胎-胎盘组织对一系列营养素的运输、利用和产生，使胎儿在宫内具有更大的代谢灵活性，同时在应激期间最小化对母体资源的进一步消耗。在接近分娩时，胎儿糖皮质激素浓度的自然升高也刺激了关键的代谢适应，为出生后对能量的需求做好组织准备。因此，糖皮质激素在母亲、胎盘和胎儿之间的代谢通讯中起着核心作用，优化了后代的代谢表型，以使其能够存活到生殖年龄。这篇综述讨论了母源性和胎儿源性糖皮质激素对胎-胎盘组织对营养素的供应和利用的影响，特别强调了使用定量方法评估在妊娠晚期的啮齿动物和绵羊体内代谢的研究。它考虑了宫内糖皮质激素暴露的途径，包括合成糖皮质激素的实验给药，以及这些激素在分子、细胞和系统水平上控制胎-胎盘代谢的机制。它还简要探讨了宫内糖皮质激素暴露对产后代谢健康和代谢表型的代际遗传的影响。
