Variation in maternal urinary cortisol profiles across the peri-conceptional period: a longitudinal description and evaluation of potential functions

Nepomnaschy, Pablo A.; Salvante, Katrina G.; Pyles, C.; Ma, Huamei; Blais, JE; Wen, Lan; Barha, Cindy K.

doi:10.1093/humrep/dev086

Cited by 13 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 115 publications

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“…Outgrowth area showed a decreasing trend in the presence of cortisol, although not statistically significant, with no changes in viability between groups. We next selected physiological concentrations of cortisol (75-150 ng/mL) comparable to what would occur during early pregnancy (18). We observed a similar trend, with no statistical differences in outgrowth area or viability despite physiologically relevant cortisol concentrations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

“…A benefit to our model system is that although the effects of stress on pregnancy outcomes may not be possible to study in humans or animals due to the complexity of the stress response, models of early implantation could allow us to study how stress affects trophoblast invasion using specific markers of stress (e.g., cortisol). Cortisol is a steroid hormone often used to assess the stress response and is functionally significant in processes of pregnancy (17,18).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Next, we investigate the effects of cortisol, a steroid hormone produced in response to stress, on trophoblast invasion and quantify trophoblast spheroid outgrowth area and viability. Cortisol is a steroid hormone often used to assess the stress response and is relevant to a variety of processes of pregnancy (17,18). Stressors during pregnancy, including poverty, intimate partner violence, lack of social support, and racism, have been associated with increased risk for certain pregnancy disorders, such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia (19)(20)(21)(22).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tuning trophoblast invasion in a gelatin hydrogel via soluble cues from the maternal-fetal interface

Zambuto¹,

Clancy²,

Harley

2020

Preprint

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Trophoblast cells play multiple critical roles in pregnancy, notably modulating blastocyst attachment to the endometrium as well as invading into and actively remodeling the endometrium to facilitate biotransport needs of the growing embryo. Despite the importance of trophoblast invasion for processes essential at early stages of pregnancy, much remains unknown regarding the balance of signaling molecules that may influence trophoblast invasion into the endometrium. The goal of this study was to use a three-dimensional trophoblast spheroid invasion assays to examine the effect of cues from the maternal-fetal interface on trophoblast invasion. We report use of a methacrylamide-functionalized gelatin (GelMA) hydrogel to support quantitative analysis of trophoblast outgrowth area and cell viability. We show this multidimensional model of trophoblast invasion can resolve quantifiable differences in outgrowth area and viability in the presence of a known invasion promoter, epidermal growth factor, and a known invasion inhibitor, transforming growth factor β1. We then investigate the sensitivity of trophoblast invasion to cortisol, a hormone associated with exogenous stressors.Together, this approach provides a toolset to investigate the coordinated action of physiological and pathophysiological processes on early stages of trophoblast invasion. IMPACT STATEMENTTrophoblast cells from the invading blastocyst play crucial roles in pregnancy, including remodeling endometrial structure to support embryonic biotransport needs; however, much remains unknown regarding the balance of signaling molecules that may influence trophoblast invasion. We show this multidimensional model of invasion can resolve quantifiable differences in outgrowth area and viability in the presence of known invasion promoters and inhibitors and then investigate invasion sensitivity to cortisol, a hormone associated with exogenous stressors.This approach provides a toolset to investigate the coordinated action of molecules from the maternal-fetal interface on trophoblast invasion that may be challenging to study in humans.3

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tuning trophoblast invasion in a gelatin hydrogel via soluble cues from the maternal-fetal interface

Zambuto¹,

Clancy²,

Harley

2020

Preprint

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“…Cortisol concentrations are known to decline during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, important for follicular maturation leading up to ovulation and fertilisation. Following conception, cortisol concentrations begin to increase by 2% each day until the 4 th week of gestation 376 . These changes in cortisol are attributed to the increased production of estrogen, which stimulates CBG levels and reduces the rate of cortisol clearance 375 .…”

Section: Physiological Changes In a Healthy Pregnancymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies utilising patients undergoing in vitro fertilisation have additionally shown reduced fecundability and a 90% increased risk of miscarriage when cortisol levels are perturbed 376,377 .…”

Section: Physiological Changes In a Healthy Pregnancymentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of periconceptional ethanol exposure on maternal and offspring hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function and associated behaviours in a rat model

Burgess¹

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The consumption of alcohol during pregnancy is frequent despite clear guidelines that indicate that abstinence is the safest option to prevent adverse offspring outcomes. These outcomes range from overt craniofacial abnormalities through to outcomes such as mental illness, hyperactivity and social difficulties. Human and animal studies have demonstrated that these neurological outcomes may be due to impaired function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) in offspring, resulting in altered basal glucocorticoid tone and disrupted responsiveness to stress. However, little is known of the impact of alcohol consumption around the time of conception, known as the periconceptional period, on offspring HPA function. Therefore, this study aimed to use a well-established rat model of ethanol consumption during the periconceptional period (PC:EtOH) to investigate offspring HPA activity, including behaviours, stress responsiveness and underlying molecular pathways. As alcohol consumption directly alters HPA function, this study also aimed to examine if PC:EtOH exposure impairs maternal HPA activity and related physiological pathways, including renal and metabolic function. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with PC:EtOH (12.5% v/v EtOH liquid diet) or a control diet from 4 days before conception, until embryonic day (E) 4. Behavioural tests were performed on offspring at three months of age to assess mental illness-like phenotypes (utilising the Forced Swim Test [FST] and Social Interaction [SI] paradigm), and at five months of age, HPA reactivity tests (combined dexamethasone suppression test [DST] and corticotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test [CST] and restraint stress) were performed. In a separate study, basal corticosterone concentrations were measured at 6 months, and adrenal glands were collected for analysis of steroidogenic gene expression. Aged cohorts (12-14 months) were utilised to measure basal plasma corticosterone, followed by the collection of adrenal glands, pituitary glands, hypothalamus and hippocampal tissue for analysis of various steroidogenesis and glucocorticoid signalling genes and pathology. In a separate cohort of aged rats, telemetry was used to asses blood pressure, heart rate and plasma corticosterone concentrations during 30-minute restraint stress. Maternal hormones (corticosterone, aldosterone), renal function and plasma glucose and lipids were assessed at various stages in gestation. Adrenal glands were collected from dams at E5, E15 and E20 for analysis of steroidogenic gene expression. Placental samples were collected at E20 and genes expression of the glucocorticoid (Nr3c1) and corticotrophin hormone receptor (Crh-r1) measured. 3 | P a g e This study revealed that PC:EtOH exposure resulted in altered offspring behavioural outcomes, including increased depressive-like behaviour in the forced swim test and altered social interaction with a novel rat. Adult offspring also demonstrated HPA hyperactivity, with elevated responses to the DST/CST challenge. Although there w...

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Postpartum amenorrhea duration by sex of the newborn in two natural fertility populations

Hoi

Daiy

Altman

et al. 2020

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: Postpartum amenorrhea (PA) affects the length of interbirth intervals and thus is intimately related to human life history strategies. PA duration appears to be influenced by maternal energetic status. In humans, as in other mammals, sons are costlier than daughters. Thus, we hypothesize that, in energetically constrained environments, a newborn's sex should be associated with PA duration. Methods: We analyzed data from two natural fertility populations in which mothers have differing energy budgets: Qom women (n = 121) from a periurban village in Argentina, who have a comparatively calorically dense diet and are sedentary (prepregnancy mean BMI = 24.8 ± 4.5 kg/m 2 in 1997), and agropastoral Kaqchikel Maya women (n = 88), who have a comparatively calorically restricted diet and high physical activity levels (mean BMI = 21.8 ± 3.7 kg/m 2). We predict that (a) mothers of sons exhibit longer PA duration than mothers of daughters and (b) this association between offspring sex and PA duration is stronger in the Maya, who have smaller energy budgets. Results: Maya mothers with sons exhibited estimated mean and median PA durations that were 1.34 times the estimated mean and median PA duration of mothers with daughters (p = 0.02). Among the Qom, mean, and median PA duration did not differ significantly in relation to offspring sex (p = 0.94). Conclusions: Maya mothers with sons exhibited longer PA duration than those with daughters. This phenomenon was not observed in the well-nourished Qom, possibly due to "buffering" effects from larger energy budgets. Offspring sex may influence birth spacing and maternal life history strategies in energetically constrained environments. 1 | INTRODUCTION The life history strategies of women, like those of all organisms, are mediated by trade-offs in the allocation of finite resources among survival, maintenance, and reproduction (Stearns, 1992). The optimization of maternal investment-female allocation of resources to offspring-is paramount to the maximization of women's lifetime reproductive success, that is, the number of offspring reared to reproductive age (Ellison, 2003; Hill &

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Variation in maternal urinary cortisol profiles across the peri-conceptional period: a longitudinal description and evaluation of potential functions

Abstract: Not applicable.

Cited by 13 publications

References 115 publications

Tuning trophoblast invasion in a gelatin hydrogel via soluble cues from the maternal-fetal interface

Tuning trophoblast invasion in a gelatin hydrogel via soluble cues from the maternal-fetal interface

The impact of periconceptional ethanol exposure on maternal and offspring hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function and associated behaviours in a rat model

Postpartum amenorrhea duration by sex of the newborn in two natural fertility populations

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