Gestational Exposure to Ultrafine Particles Reveals Sex- and Dose-Specific Changes in Offspring Birth Outcomes, Placental Morphology, and Gene Networks.

ABSTRACT: Particulate matter (PM) causes adverse developmental outcomes following prenatal exposure, but the underlying biological mechanisms remain uncertain. Here we elucidate the effects of diesel exhaust ultrafine particle (UFP) exposure during pregnancy on placental and fetal development. Time-mated C57Bl/6n mice were gestationally exposed to UFPs at a low dose (LD, 100 µg/m3) or high dose (HD, 500 µg/m3) for 6 h daily. Phenotypic effects on fetuses and placental morphology at gestational day (GD) of 18.5 were evaluated, and RNA sequencing was characterized for transcriptomic changes in placental tissue from male and female offspring. A significant decrease in average placental weights and crown to rump lengths was observed in female offspring in the LD exposure group. Gestational UFP exposure

SUBMITTER: Behlen JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8633888 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature