β₃-Adrenoceptor Agonism to Mimic the Biological Effects of Intrauterine Hypoxia: Taking Great Strides Toward a Pharmacological Artificial Placenta.

ABSTRACT: At different stages of life, from embryonic to postnatal, varying oxygen concentrations modulate cellular gene expression by enhancing or repressing hypoxia-inducible transcription factors. During embryonic/fetal life, these genes encode proteins involved in adapting to a low-oxygen environment, including the induction of specific enzymes related to glycolytic metabolism, erythropoiesis, angiogenesis, and vasculogenesis. However, oxygen concentrations fluctuate during intrauterine life, enabling the induction of tissue-specific differentiation processes. Fetal well-being is thus closely linked to the physiological benefits of a dynamically hypoxic environment. Premature birth entails the precocious exposure of the immature fetus to a more oxygen-rich environment compared to the womb. As a

SUBMITTER: Filippi L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11976384 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature