Vascular Effects, Potential Pathways and Mediators of Fetal Exposure to Alcohol and Cigarette Smoking during Pregnancy: A Narrative Review.

ABSTRACT: (1) Background: Programming of atherosclerosis results in vascular structure and function alterations, which may be attributed to fetal exposure to maternal tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and several lifestyle factors in the first few years of life. This review aims to study the effects of teratogen exposure in utero on vascular dysfunction in offspring and consider mediators and pathways originating from the fetal environment. (2) Methods: Eligible studies were identified in the PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases. After the full-text screening, 20 articles were included in the narrative synthesis. (3) Results: The literature presents evidence supporting the detrimental effects of fetal exposure to tobacco smoking on vascular alterations in both human and animal studies. Alc

SUBMITTER: Hartel TC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10378932 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature