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Sanders AFP, Tirado B, Seider NA, Triplett RL, Lean RE, Neil JJ, Miller JP, Tillman R, Smyser TA, Barch DM, Luby JL, Rogers CE, Smyser CD, Warner BB, Chen E, Miller GE. Prenatal exposure to maternal disadvantage-related inflammatory biomarkers: associations with neonatal white matter microstructure. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:72. [PMID: 38307841 PMCID: PMC10837200 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02782-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to heightened maternal inflammation has been associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, including atypical brain maturation and psychiatric illness. In mothers experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage, immune activation can be a product of the chronic stress inherent to such environmental hardship. While growing preclinical and clinical evidence has shown links between altered neonatal brain development and increased inflammatory states in utero, the potential mechanism by which socioeconomic disadvantage differentially impacts neural-immune crosstalk remains unclear. In the current study, we investigated associations between socioeconomic disadvantage, gestational inflammation, and neonatal white matter microstructure in 320 mother-infant dyads over-sampled for poverty. We analyzed maternal serum levels of four cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α) over the course of pregnancy in relation to offspring white matter microstructure and socioeconomic disadvantage. Higher average maternal IL-6 was associated with very low socioeconomic status (SES; INR < 200% poverty line) and lower neonatal corticospinal fractional anisotropy (FA) and lower uncinate axial diffusivity (AD). No other cytokine was associated with SES. Higher average maternal IL-10 was associated with lower FA and higher radial diffusivity (RD) in corpus callosum and corticospinal tracts, higher optic radiation RD, lower uncinate AD, and lower FA in inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and anterior limb of internal capsule tracts. SES moderated the relationship between average maternal TNF-α levels during gestation and neonatal white matter diffusivity. When these interactions were decomposed, the patterns indicated that this association was significant and positive among very low SES neonates, whereby TNF-α was inversely and significantly associated with inferior cingulum AD. By contrast, among the more advantaged neonates (lower-to-higher SES [INR ≥ 200% poverty line]), TNF-α was positively and significantly associated with superior cingulum AD. Taken together, these findings suggest that the relationship between prenatal cytokine exposure and white matter microstructure differs as a function of SES. These patterns are consistent with a scenario where gestational inflammation's effects on white matter development diverge depending on the availability of foundational resources in utero.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley F P Sanders
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
| | - Brian Tirado
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Nicole A Seider
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Regina L Triplett
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Rachel E Lean
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Jeffrey J Neil
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - J Philip Miller
- Division of Biostatistics, Institute for Informatics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Rebecca Tillman
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Tara A Smyser
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Joan L Luby
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Cynthia E Rogers
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Christopher D Smyser
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Barbara B Warner
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Newborn Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Edith Chen
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Gregory E Miller
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
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Woods R, Lorusso J, Fletcher J, ElTaher H, McEwan F, Harris I, Kowash H, D'Souza SW, Harte M, Hager R, Glazier JD. Maternal immune activation and role of placenta in the prenatal programming of neurodevelopmental disorders. Neuronal Signal 2023; 7:NS20220064. [PMID: 37332846 PMCID: PMC10273029 DOI: 10.1042/ns20220064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal infection during pregnancy, leading to maternal immune activation (mIA) and cytokine release, increases the offspring risk of developing a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including schizophrenia. Animal models have provided evidence to support these mechanistic links, with placental inflammatory responses and dysregulation of placental function implicated. This leads to changes in fetal brain cytokine balance and altered epigenetic regulation of key neurodevelopmental pathways. The prenatal timing of such mIA-evoked changes, and the accompanying fetal developmental responses to an altered in utero environment, will determine the scope of the impacts on neurodevelopmental processes. Such dysregulation can impart enduring neuropathological changes, which manifest subsequently in the postnatal period as altered neurodevelopmental behaviours in the offspring. Hence, elucidation of the functional changes that occur at the molecular level in the placenta is vital in improving our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis of NDDs. This has notable relevance to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, where inflammatory responses in the placenta to SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and NDDs in early childhood have been reported. This review presents an integrated overview of these collective topics and describes the possible contribution of prenatal programming through placental effects as an underlying mechanism that links to NDD risk, underpinned by altered epigenetic regulation of neurodevelopmental pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M. Woods
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Jarred M. Lorusso
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Jennifer Fletcher
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Heidi ElTaher
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt
| | - Francesca McEwan
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Isabella Harris
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Hager M. Kowash
- Division of Developmental Biology and Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9WL, U.K
| | - Stephen W. D'Souza
- Division of Developmental Biology and Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9WL, U.K
| | - Michael Harte
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Reinmar Hager
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Jocelyn D. Glazier
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
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Bai G, Jiang X, Qin J, Zou Y, Zhang W, Teng T, Shi B, Sun H. Perinatal exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides impairs progeny health and placental angiogenesis by disturbing mitochondrial function. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 170:107579. [PMID: 36265358 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are the most widely used pesticide worldwide and can provoke placental injury. However, whether and how GBHs damage angiogenesis in the placenta is not yet known. This work evaluated the safety of glyphosate on pregnant sows based on the limit level by governments and investigated the effects and mechanism of Low-GBHs (20 mg/kg) and High-GBHs (100 mg/kg) exposure on placental angiogenesis. Results showed that gestational exposure to GBHs decreased placental vessel density and cell multiplication by interfering with the expression of VEGFA, PLGF, VEGFr2 and Hand2 (indicators of angiogenesis), which may be in relation to oxidative stress-induced disorders of mitochondrial fission and fusion as well as the impaired function of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Additionally, GBHs destroyed barrier function and nutrient transport in the placenta, and was accompanied by jejunum oxidative stress in newborn piglets. However, GBHs exposure had no significant differences on sow reproductive performance. As a natural antioxidant, betaine treatment protected placenta and newborn piglets against GBHs-induced damage. In conclusion, GBHs impaired placental angiogenesis and function and further damaged the health of postnatal progeny, these effects may be linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. Betaine treatment following glyphosate exposure provided modest relief.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangdong Bai
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China
| | - Xu Jiang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China
| | - Jianwei Qin
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China
| | - Yingbin Zou
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China
| | - Wentao Zhang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China
| | - Teng Teng
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China
| | - Baoming Shi
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China.
| | - Haoyang Sun
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China.
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