Induction of zinc transporters by forskolin in human trophoblast BeWo cells

Association of Zn and Cu Levels in Cord Blood and Maternal Milk with Pregnancy Outcomes among the Slovenian Population

Trace elements, including zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu), are known to play important roles in human health. The present study aimed to assess the levels of Zn and Cu in cord blood and maternal milk and to analyze their association with maternal and infant characteristics and pregnancy outcomes in a Slovenian study population of mothers and their neonates recruited within the PHIME prospective cohort study. The study included 324 mothers, but the data on Zn and Cu levels in both cord blood and maternal milk was available for 243 mothers. Questionnaires were used to assess the socio-demographic and health status of the mothers, their lifestyle habits (including detailed nutritional habits), and their residential and occupational histories. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to measure Zn and Cu levels in cord blood and maternal milk. Low Zn levels in cord blood were associated with lower gestational age and birth weight and were correlated with an increased probability of the birth of small for gestational age (SGA) infants. Maternal smoking influenced the Cu levels in both cord blood and maternal milk. Cord blood Cu levels were higher and Cu levels in maternal milk were lower in smoking compared to non-smoking mothers. Most importantly, a decreased Zn/Cu ratio in cord blood was associated with lower gestational age and lower birth weight. This indicates the overall positive effects of Zn and negative effects of Cu on pregnancy outcomes.

Maternal and Placental Zinc and Copper Status in Intra-Uterine Growth Restriction

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Zinc and copper are essential trace elements for cell growth and proliferation. Their deficiency may contribute to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). We aimed to determine the zinc and copper status of maternal serum and placenta samples of pregnant women with fetal IUGR and age-matched pregnant women without IUGR.

METHOD

Serum and placenta samples obtained from 37 IUGR and 21 healthy pregnant women were analyzed at delivery.

RESULTS

Placenta zinc concentrations and placenta zinc/copper ratio were significantly lower in the IUGR group compared to controls (p < 0.05). Placenta zinc concentrations correlated with birth weight (p: 0.01, r: 0.31). Maternal levels of zinc and copper were similar between pregnant women with IUGR and controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower placental zinc and zinc/copper ratio levels in pregnancies with IUGR may indicate that placenta zinc and placental zinc/copper status might be involved in IUGR.

Maternal, placental and cordonal metallomic profiles in gestational diabetes mellitus

76 pregnant women, among them 38 affected by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and 38 control subjects, were recruited at the University Hospital of Padua (Italy). Placenta samples, maternal whole blood and umbilical cord whole blood were collected after delivery and analysed via ICP-MS to determine the metallome, i.e. the whole elemental content. Results were statistically evaluated to evidence the correlation between the elemental concentrations in all samples and the presence of the disease. The results obtained in whole cord blood showed that many elements were correlated with GDM: Ca, Cu, Na, and Zn were present in higher concentration in GDM cord blood than in control samples, whereas Fe, K, Mn, P, Rb, S and Si showed an opposite trend. It was also highlighted that the cord blood from GDM patients exhibited an elemental composition more similar to that of the mother blood compared with the cord blood from control subjects. These results, in part interpreted in the light of the literature, open the possibility to use cord blood as a GDM marker, thus helping to delineate more accurate nutritional guidelines for pregnant women and to explain the biochemical processes occurring in the fetus and placenta during GDM.

Identification of placental nutrient transporters associated with intrauterine growth restriction and pre-eclampsia

Background

Gestational disorders such as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and pre-eclampsia (PE) are main causes of poor perinatal outcomes worldwide. Both diseases are related with impaired materno-fetal nutrient transfer, but the crucial transport mechanisms underlying IUGR and PE are not fully elucidated. In this study, we aimed to identify membrane transporters highly associated with transplacental nutrient deficiencies in IUGR/PE.

Results

In silico analyses on the identification of differentially expressed nutrient transporters were conducted using seven eligible microarray datasets (from Gene Expression Omnibus), encompassing control and IUGR/PE placental samples. Thereby 46 out of 434 genes were identified as potentially interesting targets. They are involved in the fetal provision with amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins and microelements. Targets of interest were clustered into a substrate-specific interaction network by using Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes. The subsequent wet-lab validation was performed using quantitative RT-PCR on placentas from clinically well-characterized IUGR/PE patients (IUGR, n = 8; PE, n = 5; PE+IUGR, n = 10) and controls (term, n = 13; preterm, n = 7), followed by 2D-hierarchical heatmap generation. Statistical evaluation using Kruskal-Wallis tests was then applied to detect significantly different expression patterns, while scatter plot analysis indicated which transporters were predominantly influenced by IUGR or PE, or equally affected by both diseases. Identified by both methods, three overlapping targets, SLC7A7, SLC38A5 (amino acid transporters), and ABCA1 (cholesterol transporter), were further investigated at the protein level by western blotting. Protein analyses in total placental tissue lysates and membrane fractions isolated from disease and control placentas indicated an altered functional activity of those three nutrient transporters in IUGR/PE.

Conclusions

Combining bioinformatic analysis, molecular biological experiments and mathematical diagramming, this study has demonstrated systematic alterations of nutrient transporter expressions in IUGR/PE. Among 46 initially targeted transporters, three significantly regulated genes were further investigated based on the severity and the disease specificity for IUGR and PE. Confirmed by mRNA and protein expression, the amino acid transporters SLC7A7 and SLC38A5 showed marked differences between controls and IUGR/PE and were regulated by both diseases. In contrast, ABCA1 may play an exclusive role in the development of PE.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-4518-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Maternal zinc intakes and homeostatic adjustments during pregnancy and lactation

Zinc plays critical roles during embryogenesis, fetal growth, and milk secretion, which increase the zinc need for pregnancy and lactation. Increased needs can be met by increasing the dietary zinc intake, along with making homeostatic adjustments in zinc utilization. Potential homeostatic adjustments include changes in circulating zinc, increased zinc absorption, decreased zinc losses, and changes in whole body zinc kinetics. Although severe zinc deficiency during pregnancy has devastating effects, systematic reviews and meta-analysis of the effect of maternal zinc supplementation on pregnancy outcomes have consistently shown a limited benefit. We hypothesize, therefore, that zinc homeostatic adjustments during pregnancy and lactation improve zinc utilization sufficiently to provide the increased zinc needs in these stages and, therefore, mitigate immediate detrimental effects due to a low zinc intake. The specific questions addressed are the following: How is zinc utilization altered during pregnancy and lactation? Are those homeostatic adjustments influenced by maternal zinc status, dietary zinc, or zinc supplementation? These questions are addressed by critically reviewing results from published human studies on zinc homeostasis during pregnancy and lactation carried out in different populations worldwide.

Efficient Gene Transfer into Differentiated Human Trophoblast Cells with Adenovirus Vector Containing RGD Motif in the Fiber Protein

Previously we reported fiber-modified adenovirus (Ad) vectors containing the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif on the HI loop of the fiber knob (Ad-RGD vectors) have high gene transfer efficacy into some human trophoblast cell lines. In the current study, we investigate transgene activity of Ad-RGD during differentiation of human cytotrophoblast BeWo cells into syncytiotrophoblast-like cells. Although cellular differentiation into syncytiotrophoblast cells was followed by a decrease in the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor levels on the cell membrane, the alphaVbeta3 and alphaVbeta5 integrin levels did not change. Conventional adenovirus vector had lower transduction activity in the differentiated cells than non-differentiated cells. In contrast, Ad-RGD vector had no influence on differentiation and had a ca. 2-5 fold higher transduction activity than that of the conventional Ad vector. Thus, Ad-RGD vector can be a powerful tool for gene transfer experiments in syncytiotrophoblast cells.