Maternal exposure to fullerenols impairs placental development in mice by inhibiting estriol synthesis and reducing ERα.

ABSTRACT: Fullerenols, a water-soluble polyhydroxy derivative of fullerene, hold promise in medical and materials science due to their unique properties. However, concerns about their potential embryotoxicity remain. Using a pregnancy mouse model and metabolomics analysis, our findings reveal that fullerenols exposure during pregnancy not only significantly reduced mice placental weight and villi thickness, but also altered the classes and concentrations of metabolites in the mouse placenta. Furthermore, we found that fullerenols exposure reduced the levels of CYP3A4, ERα and estriol (E3), while increasing the levels of estradiol (E2) and oxidative stress both in mouse placenta and placental trophoblast cells, and exogenous supplementation with E3 and ER agonists was effective in restoring these cha

SUBMITTER: He Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11749090 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature