Non-invasive evaluation of placental blood flow: lessons from animal models

Mourier, Eve; Tarrade, Anne; Duan, Jie; Richard, Christophe; Bertholdt, Charline; Beaumont, Marine; Morel, Olivier; Chavatte‐Palmer, Pascale

doi:10.1530/rep-16-0428

Cited by 20 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…From 15 weeks onwards, a second, endovascular invasion starts to remodel the myometrial segments and is fully completed at mid-pregnancy (3). Downstream remodeling of the SpA decreases utero-placental resistance drastically and allows significant increase in volumetric blood flow to the placenta, while theoretically maintaining a relatively constant blood flow velocity (1,(4)(5)(6)(7).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spiral artery blood flow during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Schiffer

Evers

Haas

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background: Downstream remodeling of the spiral arteries (SpA) decreases utero-placental resistance drastically, allowing sustained and increased blood flow to the placenta at all circumstances. We systematically evaluated available reports to visualize adaptation of spiral arteries throughout pregnancy by ultra-sonographic measurements and evaluated when this process is completed.Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of spiral artery flow (pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI) and peak systolic velocity (PSV)) was performed. English articles were obtained from Pubmed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library and included articles were assessed on quality and risk of bias. Weighted means of Doppler indices were calculated using a random-effects model. Results: In healthy pregnancies, PI and RI decreased from 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67-0.83) and 0.49 (95% CI: 0.46-0.53) in the first trimester to 0.52 (95% CI: 0.48-0.56, p=0.003) and 0.40 (95% CI: 0.38-0.42, p=0.080) in the second trimester and to 0.49 (95% CI: 0.44-0.53, p=0.510) and 0.36 (95% CI: 0.35-0.37, p=0.307) in the third trimester, respectively. In parallel, PSV altered from 0.24 m/s (95% CI: 0.17-0.31 m/s) to 0.28 m/s (95% CI: 0.22-0.34 m/s, p=0.377) and to 0.25 m/s (95% CI: 0.21-0.28 m/s, p=0.919) in the three trimesters. In absence of second and third trimester Doppler data in complicated gestation, only a difference in PI was observed between complicated and healthy pregnancies during the first trimester (1.49 vs 0.76, p<0.001). Although individual studies have identified differences in PI between SpA located in the central part of the placental bed versus those located at its periphery, this meta-analysis could not confirm this (p=0.349).Conclusions: This review and meta-analysis concludes that an observed decrease of SpA PI and RI from the first towards the second trimester parallels the physiological trophoblast invasion converting SpA during early gestation, a process completed in the midst of the second trimester. Higher PI and RI were found in SpA of complicated pregnancies compared to healthy pregnancies, possibly reflecting suboptimal utero-placental circulation. Longitudinal studies examining comprehensively the predictive value of spiral artery Doppler for complicated pregnancies are yet to be carried out.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spiral artery blood flow during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Schiffer

Evers

Haas

et al. 2019

Preprint

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“…Sheep, like humans, can be monovulatory, which reduces potential confounding factors seen in litter-bearing species, such as the intrauterine fetal position phenomenon (vom Saal et al 1999). Despite inherent differences in placentation between primates and ruminants (Fowden et al 2015; Wooding et al 2008a), sheep are also considered excellent models to study placental function (Fowden et al 2015; Mourier et al 2017), allow for temporal monitoring of placental endocrine changes (Roberts et al 2017), and offer advantages critical for research that focus on the feto-maternal transfer of EDCs (Corbel et al 2015). Similar to the human syncytiotrophoblast placental layer, the sheep placenta also has multinucleate cells (referred to as binucleate cells) in the placental trophoblast layer (Igwebuike 2006; Wooding et al 2008b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gestational bisphenol S impairs placental endocrine function and the fusogenic trophoblast signaling pathway

Gingrich

Roberts

et al. 2018

Arch Toxicol

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Exposure to bisphenolic chemicals during pregnancy occurs in > 90% of pregnancies. Bisphenolic compounds can cross the placental barrier reaching fetal circulation. However, the effects of emerging bisphenolic compounds, such as bisphenol S (BPS), on placental function remain untested. The aim was to determine if bisphenol A (BPA) or BPS, at an environmentally relevant dose, impairs placental function. Pregnant sheep were randomly distributed into three treatment groups (n = 7-8/group): control, BPA, and BPS. All animals received daily injections of corn oil (control), BPA, or BPS (0.5 mg/kg; s.c.; internal fetal doses were ~ 2.6 ng/mL unconjugated BPA and ~ 7.7 ng/mL of BPS) from gestational day 30-100. After a 20-day washout period, placentas were weighed and placentomes collected. Placental endocrine function was assessed on biweekly maternal blood samples. Gestational exposure to BPS, but not BPA, reduced maternal circulating pregnancy-associated glycoproteins without change in placental weight or placental stereology. BPS-exposed placentas had 50% lower e-cadherin protein expression, ~ 20% fewer binucleate cells, and ~ threefold higher glial cell missing-1 protein expression. BPA placentas were not affected highlighting the intrinsic differences among bisphenolic chemicals. This is the first study to demonstrate that gestational BPS can result in placental endocrine dysfunction and points to a dysregulation in the fusogenic trophoblast signaling pathway.

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“…The mean diameter of micro-bubbles ranges from 2 to 10 μm, less than that of a red blood cell but sufficiently large to be trapped within the vascular space [67]. Thus, ultrasound imaging allows discrimination between fetal and maternal circulatory systems by imaging the intervillous space alone, and it could be used to diagnose the abnormalities of placental blood flow [68] (Figure 3A).…”

Section: Imaging Diagnostics Of the Pregnant Animalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal Models of Fetal Medicine and Obstetrics

Andersen¹,

Alstrup²,

Duvald³

et al. 2018

Experimental Animal Models of Human Diseases - An Effective Therapeutic Strategy

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Animal models remain essential to understand the fundamental mechanisms occurring in fetal medicine and obstetric diseases, such as intrauterine growth restriction, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. These vary regarding the employed method used for induction of the disease, and differ in relation to the animal characteristics (size, number of fetuses, placenta barrier type, etc.). While none of these exactly mirrors the human condition, different pregnant animal models (mice, rats, guinea pigs, chinchillas, rabbits, sheep and pigs) are here described with respect to advantages and limitations. The ability to employ noninvasively diagnostics varies among species, specifically for ultrasound and clinical magnetic resonance imaging procedures. Management of feeding, handling, care and anesthesia are particularly important factors in the pregnant animal.

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Non-invasive evaluation of placental blood flow: lessons from animal models

Cited by 20 publications

References 94 publications

Spiral artery blood flow during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Spiral artery blood flow during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Gestational bisphenol S impairs placental endocrine function and the fusogenic trophoblast signaling pathway

Animal Models of Fetal Medicine and Obstetrics

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