Translational and some other aspects of DOHaD concept: a polemic overview related to endocrinology and public health

Abstract

This mini-review describes translational, historical and some other aspects of the concept of developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD), as well as the connection between development and aging as a challenge to DOHaD paradigm. The main focus is made on endocrine and metabolic mechanisms studied by means of experimental models of laboratory animals and cell cultures and on epidemiological indices of morbidity and mortality in human populations. It is concluded that future investigations should be directed to enforcing the links between biomedical and public health implications of research in DOHaD area.