Cited by 44Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicalsBirth, Development, and HealthHealth, Environment, Cognitive Aging

Transcriptomics and Other Omics Approaches to Investigate Effects of Xenobiotics on the Placenta

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Rosenfeld, Cheryl S.·2021·Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

Abstract

The conceptus is most vulnerable to developmental perturbation during its early stages when the events that create functional organ systems are being launched. As the placenta is in direct contact with maternal tissues, it readily encounters any xenobiotics in her bloodstream. Besides serving as a conduit for solutes and waste, the placenta possesses a tightly regulated endocrine system that is, of itself, vulnerable to pharmaceutical agents, endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and other environmental toxicants. To determine whether extrinsic factors affect placental function, transcriptomics and other omics approaches have become more widely used. In casting a wide net with such approaches, they have provided mechanistic insights into placental physiological and pathological responses and how placental responses may impact the fetus, especially the developing brain through the placenta-brain axis. This review will discuss how such omics technologies have been utilized to understand effects of EDCs, including the widely prevalent plasticizers bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol S (BPS), and phthalates, other environmental toxicants, pharmaceutical agents, maternal smoking, and air pollution on placental gene expression, DNA methylation, and metabolomic profiles. It is also increasingly becoming clear that miRNA (miR) are important epigenetic regulators of placental function. Thus, the evidence to date that xenobiotics affect placental miR expression patterns will also be explored. Such omics approaches with mouse and human placenta will assuredly provide key biomarkers that may be used as barometers of exposure and can be targeted by early mitigation approaches to prevent later diseases, in particular neurobehavioral disorders, originating due to placental dysfunction.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fcell.2021.723656

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148 of 148 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Parental lifestyle factors including diet, obesity, smoking and endocrine-disrupting chemicals have all been shown to modulate disease risk later in life.

    “Parental lifestyle factors including diet, obesity, smoking and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, have all been shown to modulate disease risk later in life [104,108,109].”

    From Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An Evolutionary Adaptation to Lifestyle and the Environment (2022) · cites this paper as [109]

    The Introduction sections on Smoking and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals describe effects of these exposures on the placenta, and the Conclusion links placental changes to possible longstanding neurobehavioral effects. The paper does not establish that diet, obesity, smoking, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals have all been shown to alter later-life disease risk; it does not address parental diet or obesity as claimed. (LLM, conf=0.78)

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  • Six classes of EDC have been shown to cross the placenta, confirming that the fetus is exposed at all stages of development.

    “Six classes of EDC have been shown to cross the placenta confirming that the fetus is exposed at all stages of development [109,196].”

    From Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An Evolutionary Adaptation to Lifestyle and the Environment (2022) · cites this paper as [109]

    The Introduction’s Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals section says BPA can be transmitted from maternal tissue to the fetal placenta, supporting a narrower claim of placental exposure. It does not establish that six classes of EDCs cross the placenta or that the fetus is exposed at all stages of development. No page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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1 of the 149 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Rosenfeld C. S. (2015b). The Epigenome and Developmental Origns of Health and Disease. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press.
  2. SAMHSA (2015). Behavioral Health Barometer: United States, 2015 Report. Rockville, MD: SAMHSA. 33734652

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Authors
Rosenfeld, C. S.
Affiliations
University of Missouri (US)
Corresponding author
Rosenfeld, Cheryl S.
Venue
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
Published
2021-09-24
Volume
9
Pages
723656-723656
ISSN
2296-634X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3203911539
Cited by
43
References
149
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 4
FWCI
0.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging
Keywords
placenta, xenobiotics, endocrine disruptors, bisphenol A, bisphenol S, phthalates, maternal smoking, air pollution, placental gene expression, DNA methylation, placental metabolomics, microRNA, neurobehavioral disorders, placental insufficiency, biomarkers of exposure

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