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Hormones, Intrauterine Health and Programming pp 17–26Cite as

Developmental Programming and the Placenta: Focusing in on Glucocorticoids

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Part of the book series: Research and Perspectives in Endocrine Interactions ((RPEI,volume 12))

Abstract

Fetal glucocorticoid exposure is a key mechanism involved in adverse programming outcomes in the adult. Impairment of fetal growth has predominantly been attributed to direct effects of glucocorticoids on the fetus, prematurely shifting tissue development from a proliferative to a more functionally mature state. However, fetal growth is dependent on a complex interplay of maternal, placental, and fetal endocrine signals, and glucocorticoid-mediated fetal growth retardation is likely also to relate to disturbances in placental growth and function. Regulation of fetal glucocorticoid exposure is achieved by the placental glucocorticoid barrier, which involves glucocorticoid inactivation within the labyrinth zone of the murine placenta by 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2). Overexposure to glucocorticoids or depletion of 11β-HSD2 has a dramatic effect on placental development and function, with a reduction in capillary networks and alterations in nutrient transport. This work highlights the finding that adverse programming effects of glucocorticoids are not exclusively due to direct actions on the fetus but are also a consequence of changes in placental development and function.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a Wellcome Trust project grant (WT079009; MCH, JLP, JJM, JRS). We acknowledge the support of the BHF Centre of Research Excellence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia

    Caitlin S. Wyrwoll

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  1. Caitlin S. Wyrwoll
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Correspondence to Caitlin S. Wyrwoll .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Endocrinology Unit, University of Edinburgh Queen's Medical Research Inst, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

    Jonathan R Seckl

  2. Fondation IPSEN, Boulogne-Billancourt Cedex, France

    Yves Christen

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Wyrwoll, C.S. (2014). Developmental Programming and the Placenta: Focusing in on Glucocorticoids. In: Seckl, J., Christen, Y. (eds) Hormones, Intrauterine Health and Programming. Research and Perspectives in Endocrine Interactions, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02591-9_2

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