Prenatal development is linked to bronchial reactivity: epidemiological and animal model evidence.

ABSTRACT: Chronic cardiorespiratory disease is associated with low birthweight suggesting the importance of the developmental environment. Prenatal factors affecting fetal growth are believed important, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. The influence of developmental programming on bronchial hyperreactivity is investigated in an animal model and evidence for comparable associations is sought in humans. Pregnant Wistar rats were fed either control or protein-restricted diets throughout pregnancy. Bronchoconstrictor responses were recorded from offspring bronchial segments. Morphometric analysis of paraffin-embedded lung sections was conducted. In a human mother-child cohort ultrasound measurements of fetal growth were related to bronchial hyperreactivity, measured at age six years using meth

SUBMITTER: Pike KC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3989559 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature