Cited by 223Birth, Development, and HealthPregnancy and preeclampsia studiesPrenatal Substance Exposure Effects

The Programming Power of the Placenta

Open access
Sferruzzi-Perri, Amanda N., Camm, Emily J.·2016·Frontiers in Physiology

Abstract

Size at birth is a critical determinant of life expectancy, and is dependent primarily on the placental supply of nutrients. However, the placenta is not just a passive organ for the materno-fetal transfer of nutrients and oxygen. Studies show that the placenta can adapt morphologically and functionally to optimize substrate supply, and thus fetal growth, under adverse intrauterine conditions. These adaptations help meet the fetal drive for growth, and their effectiveness will determine the amount and relative proportions of specific metabolic substrates supplied to the fetus at different stages of development. This flow of nutrients will ultimately program physiological systems at the gene, cell, tissue, organ, and system levels, and inadequacies can cause permanent structural and functional changes that lead to overt disease, particularly with increasing age. This review examines the environmental regulation of the placental phenotype with particular emphasis on the impact of maternal nutritional challenges and oxygen scarcity in mice, rats and guinea pigs. It also focuses on the effects of such conditions on fetal growth and the developmental programming of disease postnatally. A challenge for future research is to link placental structure and function with clinical phenotypes in the offspring.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.3389/fphys.2016.00033

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261 of 261 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Exposure to a diverse array of suboptimal maternal environments, including nutritionally unbalanced diets, low oxygen availability, and high body mass index (BMI) during gestation, modifies the risk of the offspring developing obesity.

    “Extensions of this work using human population and experimental animal data have shown that exposure to a diverse array of suboptimal maternal environments, including nutritionally unbalanced diets, low oxygen availability, and high body mass index (BMI) during gestation, modifies the risk of the offspring developing obesity [9, 10].”

    From Developmental programming of offspring adipose tissue biology and obesity risk (2021) · cites this paper as [9]

    The section on offspring metabolic systems reports increased adult-offspring adiposity after maternal calorie restriction, low-protein diets, and high-calorie diets; the section on cerebral structure and function also links calorie restriction to increased obesity risk. However, the passages on hypoxia describe birth weight, later growth, and cardiovascular effects—not offspring obesity—and the retrieved passages do not establish an effect of high maternal BMI or provide human population evidence for the stated obesity risk. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The placenta is the functional interface between mother and fetus and the main determinant of maternal nutrient, oxygen, and hormonal supply to the fetus during gestation.

    “The placenta is the functional interface between mother and fetus and the main determinant of maternal nutrient, oxygen, and hormonal supply to the fetus during gestation [9, 147].”

    From Developmental programming of offspring adipose tissue biology and obesity risk (2021) · cites this paper as [9]

    The sections on placental structure and transport describe the placenta as the materno-fetal interface through which oxygen and nutrients reach the fetus. The section on other essential placental functions says the placenta regulates exposure to circulating maternal hormones, but emphasizes its role as a barrier and its hormonal output into the mother. It does not establish that the placenta is the main determinant of maternal hormonal supply to the fetus. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Sferruzzi-Perri, A. N., & Camm, E. J.
Affiliations
University of Cambridge (GB)
Corresponding author
Sferruzzi-Perri, Amanda N.
Venue
Frontiers in Physiology
Published
2016-03-14
Volume
7
Pages
33-33
ISSN
1664-042X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2308489670
Cited by
223
References
262
Citations by year
2026: 19 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 5
FWCI
3.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Physiology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects
Keywords
placenta, fetal growth, developmental programming, fetal programming, placental adaptation, maternal nutrition, hypoxia, metabolic substrates, developmental origins of health and disease, birth weight, placental morphology

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