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Instrumentation of Near-term Fetal Sheep for Multivariate Chronic Non-anesthetized Recordings
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Fetal programming of cardiac function and disease.

Kurt Meyer1, Lubo Zhang

  • 1Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Loma Linda University, School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California 92350, USA. kmeyer@llu.edu

Reproductive Sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)
|July 20, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Fetal programming links early life insults to adult cardiovascular disease. These adaptive changes, while initially protective, can lead to long-term heart problems and altered gene expression.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Cardiovascular science
  • Epigenetics

Background:

  • Fetal programming describes adaptive changes in response to intrauterine insults, linked to adult disease.
  • These changes, initially beneficial, can have detrimental long-term cardiovascular effects.
  • Known triggers include maternal diet, corticosteroids, hypoxia, anemia, and substance use.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review cardiac changes observed in response to fetal programming stimuli.
  • To explore potential mechanisms underlying these persistent cardiac alterations.
  • To highlight the role of epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on fetal programming and cardiac outcomes.
  • Analysis of research on maternal and fetal factors influencing cardiac development.
  • Examination of molecular mechanisms, including gene expression and DNA methylation.

Main Results:

  • Various stimuli induce persistent changes in cardiac function and gene expression.
  • Maternal factors and intrauterine insults significantly impact fetal heart development.
  • Alterations in DNA methylation patterns are a potential mediator of cardiac programming.

Conclusions:

  • Fetal programming can lead to lasting cardiovascular changes and disease risk.
  • Epigenetic modifications, particularly DNA methylation, are key mechanisms.
  • Understanding these processes is crucial for preventing adult cardiovascular disease.