Maternal growth restriction and stress exposure in rats differentially alters expression of components of the placental glucocorticoid barrier and nutrient transporters

Abstract

The placenta plays a major role in the development of fetal growth restriction, which affects 10% of pregnancies and contributes to chronic adult disease risk. We have reported that female rats born small develop cardiometabolic dysfunction only during pregnancy. The physiological tests performed during pregnancy induced a maternal stress response as indicated by increased maternal corticosterone concentrations. This stress effected placental growth compared to females who were unhandled during pregnancy. Maternal stress and growth restriction independently program F2 offspring metabolic dysfunction. This study investigated the effects of maternal stress and growth restriction on placental a..