Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
14:19

Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction

Published on: June 29, 2013

Adaptive changes in neonatal hormonal and metabolic profiles induced by fetal growth restriction

Jacques Beltrand1, Rasa Verkauskiene, Ramona Nicolescu

  • 1Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherché Médicale Unit 690, 48 Boulevard Sérurier, 75019 Paris, France. beltrand@me.com

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
|August 7, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Fetal growth restriction alters newborn body composition and metabolism, indicating increased insulin sensitivity regardless of birth weight (BW). This reflects adaptations to a poor fetal environment.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal physiology
  • Fetal development
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Birth weight (BW) is a common but insufficient indicator of fetal growth.
  • Fetal growth restriction can impact body composition and metabolic profiles at birth.
  • Adaptive metabolic changes occur in response to adverse fetal environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess body composition, hormonal, and metabolic parameters at birth.
  • To correlate these parameters with both birth weight and fetal growth velocity.

Main Methods:

  • Studied 235 pregnancies at risk of low birth weight.
  • Calculated fetal growth velocity based on estimated fetal weight changes.
  • Divided newborns into tertiles based on fetal growth velocity.

Main Results:

  • Lower fetal growth velocity correlated with reduced lean and fat mass.
  • Insulin concentration was linked to fetal growth velocity and fat mass, but not BW.
  • Fetal growth velocity and BW influenced IGF-I concentration, but not fat mass.

Conclusions:

  • Fetal growth restriction leads to altered body composition and metabolism.
  • These changes suggest enhanced insulin sensitivity, independent of BW.
  • Metabolic adaptations are indicative of response to an adverse nutritional environment.
Abstract

More Related Videos

Instrumentation of Near-term Fetal Sheep for Multivariate Chronic Non-anesthetized Recordings14:40

Instrumentation of Near-term Fetal Sheep for Multivariate Chronic Non-anesthetized Recordings

Published on: October 25, 2015

A Rat Model of Mild Intrauterine Hypoperfusion with Microcoil Stenosis06:19

A Rat Model of Mild Intrauterine Hypoperfusion with Microcoil Stenosis

Published on: January 7, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism01:24

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism

In pediatric care, understanding the nuances of hepatic drug metabolism is crucial, as it significantly differs from that of adults. This divergence is primarily due to the developmental stage of drug-metabolizing enzymes, which affects how medications are processed in the body. In neonates, for instance, the activity of Phase I enzymes—critical for the initial breakdown of drugs—is markedly reduced, functioning at just 20–40% of the levels seen in adults. This reduction poses a challenge in...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution01:17

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution

Drug distribution in the pediatric population exhibits unique challenges and considerations due to the physiological differences between children, particularly neonates and infants, and adults. A crucial aspect of pediatric pharmacology is understanding how these differences impact the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, necessitating age-specific dosing strategies to ensure efficacy and safety.Neonates and infants have a higher total body water content, ~75%–90% of their body weight, compared...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption01:23

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption

Understanding the physiological differences in the pediatric population is crucial for effective pharmacotherapy. Neonates, infants, and children exhibit significant variations in gastric pH, gastric emptying time, intestinal transit time, and biliary function. These variations profoundly affect oral drug absorption, necessitating a nuanced approach to pediatric dosing.Neonates present with a unique physiological profile, having a gastric pH greater than 4 and faster and more irregular gastric...
Regulation of Metabolism01:19

Regulation of Metabolism

Cellular needs and conditions vary from cell to cell and change within individual cells over time. For example, the required enzymes and energetic demands of stomach cells are different from those of fat storage cells, skin cells, blood cells, and nerve cells. Furthermore, a digestive cell works much harder to process and break down nutrients during the time that closely follows a meal compared with many hours after a meal. As these cellular demands and conditions vary, so do the amounts and...
Teratogenicity01:07

Teratogenicity

The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...
Pharmacokinetics in Obese Patients: Drug Metabolism and Excretion01:20

Pharmacokinetics in Obese Patients: Drug Metabolism and Excretion

Drug metabolism, a critical process in the liver, involves two primary phases: Phase I reactions and Phase II conjugation. Obesity introduces significant alterations in this metabolic process, primarily due to fatty infiltration of the liver, leading to conditions such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This condition can modify the activities of both Phase I and II enzymes, impacting how drugs are metabolized in obese patients.Phase I metabolism sees variable effects across...