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Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
03:19

Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes

Published on: June 28, 2024

832

Maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D is inversely correlated with foetal serotonin

Padma Murthi1,2, Miranda Davies-Tuck2,3, Martha Lappas4,5

  • 1Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.

Clinical Endocrinology
|November 19, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Maternal vitamin D deficiency may increase fetal serotonin levels, potentially impacting infant neurodevelopment. This study found an inverse link between vitamin D and fetal serotonin, suggesting a mechanism for cognitive impairment.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Endocrinology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Maternal vitamin D deficiency is linked to impaired childhood neurocognitive development.
  • The precise mechanism remains unclear but may involve serotonin, a key neurotransmitter in fetal brain development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal and fetal vitamin D levels and fetal serotonin concentrations.
  • To explore the role of vitamin D in regulating fetal serotonin.

Main Methods:

  • Measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and serotonin (5-HT) in maternal and umbilical cord blood (n=64).
  • Utilized linear regression to analyze associations between vitamin D and serotonin.
  • Assessed the in vitro effects of vitamin D receptor (VDR) modulation on serotonin secretion in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Main Results:

  • An inverse relationship was observed between maternal and cord 25(OH)D concentrations and cord serotonin levels.
  • In vitro, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 treatment decreased serotonin release in HUVECs.
  • Inactivation of the VDR increased serotonin release in cultured HUVECs.

Conclusions:

  • This study provides the first evidence of an inverse relationship between maternal 25(OH)D and fetal serotonin.
  • Maternal vitamin D deficiency may lead to increased fetal serotonin, potentially contributing to neurocognitive impairments in infants and children.
Abstract

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