Gestational Intermittent Hypoxia Enhances Mammary Stem Cells and Alters Tumor Phenotype in Adult Female Offspring.

ABSTRACT: An adverse perinatal environment can increase long-term cancer risk, although the precise nature of associated perinatal triggers remain unknown. Sleep apnea is a common condition during pregnancy, characterized by recurrent cessations in breathing during sleep, and the potential consequences of sleep apnea during pregnancy as it relates to breast cancer risk in offspring have not been explored. To model sleep apnea, Sprague-Dawley dams were exposed during gestation to nightly intermittent hypoxia (GIH) or normoxia (GNx), and the mammary glands of female offspring were examined. GIH offspring demonstrated increased epithelial stem and progenitor cell populations, which are associated with diminished transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) activity. Elevations in adipose tissue stem cells in

SUBMITTER: Joshi J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10854849 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature