Abstract
Epidemiological studies link intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) to arterial hypertension in adulthood. We compared umbilical arteries from IUGR (n = 12, <5th weight percentile) vs. appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants (n = 12) using structural and functional analyses. The vessel wall area of umbilical arteries in the IUGR group was significantly smaller than in the AGA group (2.8 vs. 3.8 mm2, P < 0.05). Myographic measurements showed that maximal tension [mN/mm] as well as maximal force [mN] were both significantly increased in IUGR arteries compared with AGA arteries (P < 0.05). Serum levels of IGF-I, a regulator of elastin synthesis, were significantly lower in IUGR cord blood (P < 0.01) than in AGA cord blood. These IGF-I serum levels correlated significantly with maximum tension in umbilical arteries (P < 0.01). Low intrauterine IGF-I serum levels may account for thinner and stiffer umbilical arteries in IUGR infants in comparison to AGA infants thereby providing a potential link to arterial hypertension in adulthood.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 136-141 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Placenta |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2009 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Elasticity
- Extracellular matrix
- Fetal programming
- Hypertension
- Intrauterine growth restriction