Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026
03:19
Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes
Published on: June 28, 2024
Arsenic Exposure During Pregnancy: Impacts to Maternal and Offspring Cardiovascular Health
Morgan Steiner1, Marsha Wills-Karp1, Mark Kohr1
1Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21205.
Medical Research Archives
|July 16, 2026
Summary
Inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure during pregnancy harms maternal and fetal cardiovascular health, contributing to pregnancy complications and lifelong disease risk in offspring. Understanding biological mechanisms is crucial for prevention.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Cardiovascular Science
- Toxicology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of pregnancy-related mortality.
- While maternal age and pre-existing conditions contribute, environmental factors like inorganic arsenic (iAs) are implicated.
- iAs contaminates global food and water, linked to various chronic diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize evidence on prenatal iAs exposure's adverse cardiovascular effects on mothers and offspring.
- To highlight the need for research into biological mechanisms.
- To inform public health strategies against rising maternal mortality.
Main Methods:
- Review of current scientific literature on prenatal inorganic arsenic exposure.
- Analysis of epidemiological and toxicological studies.
- Synthesis of evidence on maternal and fetal cardiovascular outcomes.
Main Results:
- Gestational iAs exposure increases maternal risks (hypertension, preeclampsia, heart changes).
- Fetal complications include preterm birth, congenital heart defects, and low birth weight.
- Early-life iAs exposure predisposes offspring to lifelong CVD.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal iAs exposure poses significant risks to maternal and fetal cardiovascular health.
- Elucidating biological mechanisms is essential for developing effective interventions.
- Addressing environmental iAs exposure is critical for reducing global maternal mortality.
Related Concept Videos
01:07Teratogenicity
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...
01:36Types of Toxins
Humans continually engage with an environment rich in potentially harmful chemicals. These are introduced to our bodies through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. These chemicals exist in various forms, such as air and environmental pollutants, agricultural chemicals, organic solvents, and heavy metals.
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
01:27The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements
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.
Periodic Table Provides Information...
Periodic Table Provides Information...
01:24Drug Toxicity: Risk factors
Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) are potential complications that arise during pharmacotherapy, influenced by multiple risk factors. Age plays a significant role; both neonates and the elderly are at heightened risk due to their respective immature and diminished metabolic and elimination processes. Gender also impacts ADRs, with females experiencing a 1.5 to 1.7-fold greater risk than males, which may be linked to pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and hormonal differences. Notably, neonates, the...
01:26Toxic Reactions: Overview
When toxic substances penetrate the human body, they disseminate to various tissues, undergoing metabolic changes. This process yields reactive metabolites that may covalently bind with specific target molecules, resulting in toxicity.
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
01:23Upper Respiratory Drugs: Antitussives, Expectorants, and Mucolytics
Respiratory symptoms, such as congestion and cough, commonly accompany respiratory tract conditions. Various medications, such as antitussives, expectorants, and mucolytics, play crucial roles in providing relief.
Antitussives include codeine, dextromethorphan (Robitussin), and benzonatate (Tessalon). Codeine and dextromethorphan exert their effects centrally by suppressing the cough reflex center in the medulla. Benzonatate operates peripherally within the respiratory tract by anesthetizing...
Antitussives include codeine, dextromethorphan (Robitussin), and benzonatate (Tessalon). Codeine and dextromethorphan exert their effects centrally by suppressing the cough reflex center in the medulla. Benzonatate operates peripherally within the respiratory tract by anesthetizing...