Maternal Administration Of Vitamin Research Articles

Maternal Supplementation with Antioxidant Vitamins in Sheep Results in Increased Transfer to the Fetus and Improvement of Fetal Antioxidant Status and Development.

Twinning and maternal nutritional restriction leads to fetal hypoxia, oxidative stress, and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in near-term sheep pregnancies. Our aim was to determine the effect of oral supplementation of vitamins C and E in pregnant sheep on maternal and umbilical cord blood concentrations of vitamins C and E and the effects on fetal antioxidant status, growth, and placental efficiency. Sixteen single- and sixteen twin-bearing ewes, grazing natural Patagonian prairies, were selected after transrectal ultrasound at day 30 after mating. Half of ewes from each pregnancy rank were supplemented daily with vitamins C and E, administered orally, from 30 to 140 days of gestation, when maternal jugular and fetal venous cord blood samples were obtained during cesarean section. Fetuses were weighed and sexed. Placental weight in each fetus was also obtained. Blood plasma was harvested for measurements of maternal and fetal vitamins concentration and fetal antioxidant capacity. Maternal administration of vitamin C and E was associated with increased fetal cord levels of both vitamins, improved antioxidant status, and enhanced fetal growth in both singleton and twin pregnancies associated with increased placental efficiency. These results highlight the potential of vitamin C and E supplementation to reduce the impact of IUGR in both livestock and humans.

Vitamin a Modifies the Expression of Antioxidant Enzymes in the Developing Lung

Retinol has proven to be an essential molecule during lung fetal development, but its effects on the pulmonary antioxidant system are still unknown. At birth, there is a major increase of reactive oxygen species due to the exposure to oxygen, which may lead to cellular damage. This increase is particularly important in the premature, due to the antioxidant system immaturity. To investigate the retinol influence on lung's antioxidant enzymes we conducted an in vivo study. Pregnant mice were subjected to subcutaneous administration of vitamin A on the 12th gestational day. Lungs from control and treated animals were collected daily from the 15th gestational day till the 3th day of life. Catalase was measured by the polarographic method and glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase by spectrometry. Ours results show a positive effect of vitamin A administration on both catalase and glutathione peroxidase enzymes. A statistical significance of catalase expression was reached at 16th gestational day in vitamin A-exposed lungs. An identical difference in glutathione peroxidase expression was registered at the 15th and 16th gestational days. We have previously demonstrated that catalase and glutathione peroxidase levels are higher in the lungs of males in the same time-period, a feature that was not altered by vitamin A administration. Previous studies from our group also showed that maternal administration of vitamin A results in an enhancement of lung organogenesis, which can be achieved, in part, by stimulating the lung's antioxidant system, as occurs with the surfactant system, without eliminating free radicals physiological functions.

395 Vitamin a Modifies the Expression of Antioxidant Enzymes in the Developing Lung

Retinol has proven to be an essential molecule during lung fetal development, but its effects on the pulmonary antioxidant system are still unknown. At birth, there is a major increase of reactive oxygen species due to the exposure to oxygen, which may lead to cellular damage. This increase is particularly important in the premature, due to the antioxidant system immaturity. To investigate the retinol influence on lung's antioxidant enzymes we conducted an in vivo study. Pregnant mice were subjected to subcutaneous administration of vitamin A on the 12th gestational day. Lungs from control and treated animals were collected daily from the 15th gestational day till the 3th day of life. Catalase was measured by the polarographic method and glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase by spectrometry. Ours results show a positive effect of vitamin A administration on both catalase and glutathione peroxidase enzymes. A statistical significance of catalase expression was reached at 16th gestational day in vitamin A-exposed lungs. An identical difference in glutathione peroxidase expression was registered at the 15th and 16th gestational days. We have previously demonstrated that catalase and glutathione peroxidase levels are higher in the lungs of males in the same time-period, a feature that was not altered by vitamin A administration. Previous studies from our group also showed that maternal administration of vitamin A results in an enhancement of lung organogenesis, which can be achieved, in part, by stimulating the lung's antioxidant system, as occurs with the surfactant system, without eliminating free radicals physiological functions.

Detection of MMP-9, MMP-1 and TIMP-1 in the Lung of Developing Mouse after Prenatal Administration of Vitamin A

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of proteolytic enzymes that together with their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) are important modulators of normal lung development and harmful mediators of lung damage. Several studies support the role for an imbalance of MMPs and TIMPs homeostasis in the pathogenesis of paediatric lung failure. It was verified that MMP-9 and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio increases in the broncho-alveolar lavage of patients with bronchopulmonary dyspasia (BPD). Maternal administration of vitamin A, once the period of retinoid-induced teratogenesis is over, results in an enhancement of lung foetal organogenesis, an increase in the lung's elastic fibres, and an increase in VEGF pulmonary and plasma levels.

Effects of vitamin E on the response of the fetal middle cerebral artery to the pressure test

Objective. To examine the effects of the maternal administration of vitamin E on the vasoreactivity of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in preterm fetuses.Study design. The vasoconstrictive response of the proximal segment of the MCA to brief and partial external occlusions of the umbilical vein (pressure test) was studied in 22 fetuses between 21 and 35 weeks of gestation, before, and 3 to 7 days after, the maternal administration of oral vitamin E (50 mg daily).Results. The vasoconstrictive activity of the MCA was eliminated in 15 fetuses (68.2%), unchanged in six (27.3%), and decreased in one (4.5%). In the latter seven cases, vasoconstriction of the proximal MCA in response to the pressure test was eliminated by increasing the vitamin E dosage to 100 mg/day.Conclusion. Vitamin E administered to the mothers had a pronounced effect on the proximal MCA reactivity in preterm fetuses.

Multiple transcripts of Ca2+ channel α1-subunits and a novel spliced variant of the α1C-subunit in rat ductus arteriosus

Voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels (VDCCs), which consist of multiple subtypes, regulate vascular tone in developing arterial smooth muscle, including the ductus arteriosus (DA). First, we examined the expression of VDCC subunits in the Wistar rat DA during development. Among alpha(1)-subunits, alpha(1C) and alpha(1G) were the most predominant isoforms. Maternal administration of vitamin A significantly increased alpha(1C)- and alpha(1G)-transcripts. Second, we examined the effect of VDCC subunits on proliferation of DA smooth muscle cells. We found that 1 microM nitrendipine (an L-type Ca(2+) channel blocker) and kurtoxin (a T-type Ca(2+) channel blocker) significantly decreased [(3)H]thymidine incorporation and that 3 microM efonidipine (an L- and T-type Ca(2+) channel blocker) further decreased [(3)H]thymidine incorporation, suggesting that L- and T-type Ca(2+) channels are involved in smooth muscle cell proliferation in the DA. Third, we found that a novel alternatively spliced variant of the alpha(1C)-isoform was highly expressed in the neointimal cushion of the DA, where proliferating and migrating smooth muscle cells are abundant. The basic channel properties of the spliced variant did not differ from those of the conventional alpha(1C)-subunit. We conclude that multiple VDCC subunits were identified in the DA, and, in particular, alpha(1C)- and alpha(1G)-subunits were predominant in the DA. A novel spliced variant of the alpha(1C)-subunit gene may play a distinct role in neointimal cushion formation in the DA.

Effect of Maternal Vitamin-A Administration on Fetal Lung Vitamin-A Stores in the Perinatal Rat

Vitamin A (retinol) is essential for normal differentiation and integrity of developing respiratory epithelium and its deficiency has been linked to an increased susceptibility to lung injury. Because significant vitamin-A storage occurs in the fetal lung near term in the perinatal rat, prematurely born animals deprived of adequate stores in their lungs may be susceptible to the adverse effects of vitamin-A deficiency. It would be desirable if lung vitamin-A stores could be augmented with maternal administration, but the feasibility of this strategy has not been reported. We therefore conducted this study in rats to determine whether maternal administration of vitamin A could increase the lung stores of vitamin A in the offspring. Vitamin-A-sufficient pregnant rats were given a single dose of either vitamin A (50,000 IU retinyl palmitate) or 0.9% saline solution on gestational day 16 (term = 21 days) by the intragastric route. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to measure concentrations of vitamin A and its esters in fetal and neonatal lungs and livers at times ranging from gestational day 17 through 21, and from postnatal day 1 through 14. The concentrations of vitamin-A esters in the lungs of fetuses and newborn pups of the vitamin-A-treated animals were significantly (1.7- to 7.1-fold) higher than those of the control group. This increase in the lung vitamin-A ester concentrations was seen within 24 h of maternal administration and persisted throughout the 14-day postnatal period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Vitamin A-induced suppression/enhancement of protein glycosylation and neurulation.

Glycoconjugates play major roles in many cellular functions, e.g. cell migration and cell-to-cell adherence, which are involved in neurulation. The maternal administration of vitamin A on gestation day 8.5 and 9.0 resulted in a high percentage of primary and secondary neurulation defects in gestation day 12 mouse embryos. The neuroepithelium of normal and abnormal embryos was analyzed by one- and two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and one-dimensional Western blots using concanavalin A (Con A) and peroxidase-conjugated wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) lectins. In vitamin A abnormal embryos, WGA binding was decreased to glycoproteins with apparent molecular weights of 15,000 and 30,000 daltons on Western blots, whereas in vitamin A normal embryos, WGA binding was increased to these glycoproteins on Western blots. Computer-aided fluorescence microscopy using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated lectins on 1-micron araldite plastic sections indicated a decrease in FITC-WGA binding to the free surface of nonneurulated neuroepithelium. These results suggest: (1) vitamin A administration may have induced a suppression of WGA-binding carbohydrate residues on 15,000- and 30,000-dalton glycoproteins in abnormal embryos, and (2) modification in the type, amount, and distribution of glycoconjugates may provide a basis for the cellular mechanisms of abnormal development of the neural tube.

Prevention of neural tube defects in curly-tail mice by maternal administration of vitamin A.

AbstractVarious doses of vitamin A were administered on day 9 of pregnancy to the pregnant curly‐tail mouse, a mutant, 60 per cent of which have neural tube defects (NTD). There was a reduction in the incidence of NTD in the fetuses with all doses used. The effect was maximal with 5 mg/kg; it was also marked, but to a lesser degree, with 10 and 20 mg/kg and minimal with 1 mg/kg. The implications of these findings in the mouse to the prevention of NTD in humans by preconception vitamin supplementation are discussed.