Maternal Fatty Acid Metabolism in Pregnancy and Its Consequences in the Feto-Placental Development.

Asim K Duttaroy,Sanjay Basak

doi:10.3389/fphys.2021.787848

Abstract

During pregnancy, maternal plasma fatty acids are critically required for cell growth and development, cell signaling, and the development of critical structural and functional aspects of the feto-placental unit. In addition, the fatty acids modulate the early stages of placental development by regulating angiogenesis in the first-trimester human placenta. Preferential transport of maternal plasma long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids during the third trimester is critical for optimal fetal brain development. Maternal status such as obesity, diabetes, and dietary intakes may affect the functional changes in lipid metabolic processes in maternal-fetal lipid transport and metabolism. Fatty acids traverse the placental membranes via several plasma membrane fatty acid transport/binding proteins (FAT, FATP, p-FABPpm, and FFARs) and cytoplasmic fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs). This review discusses the maternal metabolism of fatty acids and their effects on early placentation, placental fatty acid transport and metabolism, and their roles in feto-placental growth and development. The review also highlights how maternal fat metabolism modulates lipid processing, including transportation, esterification, and oxidation of fatty acids.

Highlights

Fatty acids have vital functions on energy metabolism and storage as they participate in cell enlargement, promote cell functions, regulate gene expression, coordinate intra- and extracellular communications, regulate the supply of energy substrates, and control cellular responses to the metabolic environment (Crabtree et al, 1998; Mallick et al, 2021)
Eicosanoids are synthesized from n-3, and n-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) include prostaglandins (PGs), thromboxanes (TXs), leukotrienes (LTs), and hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs)
Multiple stimuli lead to the release of membrane-bound LCPUFAs such as ARA, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid,20:3n-6 (DGLA), Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and DHA via activation of cellular phospholipases

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Fatty acids have vital functions on energy metabolism and storage as they participate in cell enlargement, promote cell functions, regulate gene expression, coordinate intra- and extracellular communications, regulate the supply of energy substrates, and control cellular responses to the metabolic environment (Crabtree et al, 1998; Mallick et al, 2021). It is concluded that LCPUFAs levels are higher in fetal than in maternal circulation via different mechanisms such as maternal lipid metabolism and preferential placental transport (Zamai et al, 2020; Basak et al, 2021) Several proteins such as cytoplasmic fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs), plasma membrane fatty acid-binding protein (FABPpm), fatty acid translocase (FAT/CD36), fatty acid transporter proteins (FATPs), and free fatty acid receptors (FFARs) bind FFAs, whenever these are available in the extracellular medium, the cytosol, or the nuclear matrix (Duttaroy, 2009; Hara et al, 2013; Mallick et al, 2021). This review brings together recent developments on the metabolism of fatty acids in mothers and their impacts on fetoplacental development

MATERNAL LIPID METABOLISM AFFECTS PREGNANCY

Fold change of mRNA normalized with TBP

The major outcome with references

Improved neurological outcome in

Findings

Improved mental processing score