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Related Concept Videos

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...
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Elements are the smallest units of matter that cannot be broken down further by chemical processes. There are 118 known elements, but not all of these are naturally occurring, and only a few of them are essential for life. Living matter is composed primarily of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, with smaller amounts of other elements like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur. Other elements are also necessary for life but only in trace amounts.
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The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements00:57

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Quantitating Iron Transport Across the Mouse Placenta In Vivo Using Nonradioactive Iron Isotopes
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Can iron be teratogenic?

E D Weinberg1

  • 1Department of Biology & Program in Medical Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA. eweinber@Indiana.edu

Biometals : an International Journal on the Role of Metal Ions in Biology, Biochemistry, and Medicine
|December 22, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Elevated iron during early human pregnancy (weeks 3-8) may harm fetal development. Evidence suggests delaying iron supplementation until after this critical organogenesis period is safer for the embryo.

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Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Developmental Toxicology
  • Human Gestation

Background:

  • The embryonic period (weeks 3-8) is critical for human organogenesis.
  • Maternal iron absorption is naturally reduced during early gestation.
  • Iron metabolism and transport differ significantly between maternal and embryonic environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the potential teratogenic effects of elevated iron during the embryonic period.
  • To determine the optimal timing for iron supplementation during human pregnancy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of physiological evidence regarding iron levels and transport during human embryonic development.
  • Analysis of iron's role in emesis and its correlation with the embryonic period.
  • Examination of data from murine gestation models demonstrating iron's neurotoxicity.

Main Results:

  • Maternal iron absorption is insufficient to meet demands during the embryonic period.
  • Embryonic fluid has lower iron but higher ferritin levels compared to maternal serum.
  • Iron is a potent emetic agent, with peak induction during the embryonic phase.
  • Murine models show iron is neurotoxic during a critical developmental window (8-9 days).

Conclusions:

  • Elevated iron exposure during the 3-8 week embryonic period poses a potential teratogenic risk.
  • Delaying iron supplementation until after the embryonic organogenesis period is advisable in human pregnancy.