Steroidogenesis in sheep pregnancy with intrauterine growth retardation by high-altitude hypoxia: effects of maternal altitudinal status and antioxidant treatment
Open accessAbstract
Sheep pregnancy in high-altitude environments frequently involves hypoxia and oxidative stress and causes intrauterine growth retardation. The adverse effects of altitude on fetal growth can be prevented by the administration of antioxidant vitamins, but the mechanisms responsible are not well known. The maintenance of a viable pregnancy depends largely on adequate placental steroidogenesis, especially in the last two-thirds of pregnancy. Thus, in the present study we evaluated the effect of antioxidant vitamins (C and E) on plasma concentrations of progesterone and 17ß-oestradiol during the last two-thirds of high-altitude pregnancies in ewes both native and naïve to the high-altitude environment. In addition, pregnancy outcomes were evaluated by determining the bodyweight of newborn lambs. Sex steroid patterns differed between ewes with and without vitamin supplementation. Concentrations of plasma progesterone and 17ß-oestradiol were significantly higher in the supplemented groups from approximately 40 days before parturition until near term. Newborn weights were significantly lower in animals not adapted to the higher altitude, and vitamin supplementation prevented this decrease. In conclusion, the administration of antioxidant vitamins in the present study enhanced placental steroidogenesis, thus favouring fetal development in pregnancies developing at high altitudes.
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In women and sheep at high altitude, placental steroid production depends on the length of residency at altitude.
“Studies in women and sheep at high altitude have also shown that placental steroid production depends on the length of residency at altitude (105, 432).”
From Placental Origins of Chronic Disease (2016) · cites this paper as [432]
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- Authors
- Parraguez, V. H., Urquieta, B., De los Reyes, M., González-Bulnes, A., Astiz, S., & Muñoz, A.
- Affiliations
- AFaculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Chile, Casilla 2, Correo 15, La Granja, Santiago, Chile.
- University of Chile (CL)
- CDepartment of Animal Reproduction, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Av. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (ES)
- University of Córdoba (ES)
- ORCID
- Astiz, Susana
- Venue
- Reproduction, Fertility and Development
- Publisher
- CSIRO Publishing
- Published
- 2012-06-08
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 639-645
- ISSN
- 1031-3613 (ISSN-L)
- 1448-5990
- OpenAlex
- W2126822768
- Cited by
- 28
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 4.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- americanae.aecid.es
- Licence
- Locations
- Reproduction Fertility and Development (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Americanae (AECID Library) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) (submittedVersion)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Universidad de Chile (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Reproductive Physiology in Livestock
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › High Altitude and Hypoxia
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies
- Keywords
- placental steroidogenesis, high-altitude hypoxia, fetal growth restriction, antioxidant vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, progesterone, estradiol, fetal growth, sheep pregnancy, oxidative stress
- MeSH terms
- Altitude, Animals, Hypoxia, Ascorbic Acid, Body Weight, Estradiol, Female, Fetal Growth Retardation, Pregnancy, Progesterone, Sheep, Sheep Diseases, Steroids, Vitamin E, Linear Models
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