Maternal-fetal restriction and placental sufficiency during obesity: experimental cellular and molecular mechanisms and a translational approach.

• Grant number: 24/02779-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition - Malnutrition and Physiological Development
• Principal Investigator: Letícia Ignácio de Souza Zimmermann
• Grantee: Letícia Ignácio de Souza Zimmermann
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas (FCA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Limeira , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Maria Laura Costa do Nascimento

Abstract

Obesity has been (re)established as one of the greatest concerns in public health and global risk framework for the COVID-19 pandemic. Obesity self-perpetuation includes the "Developmental Origins of Health and Disease" (DOHaD) through fetal programming. Biological processes in mother during critical developmental window and maternal/fetal outcomes are strictly related. Thus, placenta emerges as an active interface between the mother and concept and the most important organ at this stage. Placental development and functionality have been included in the pregnancy clinical management to prevention of diseases in baby. Our research group has been dedicated to understand the effects of maternal obesity on fetal outcomes and the role of the placenta. Experimentally, we shown a profile of maternal-fetal restriction and placental insufficiency linked to obesity prone phenotype and pre-gestational nutritional status. Now, we need to extend our analysis to evaluation of proteostasis, endoplasmic reticulum stress, growth pathways and cell adhesion. Finally, the present proposal also aims to promote the translation of the knowledge acquired so far with the evaluation of these mechanisms in human placentas through a cooperation with the Placenta BioBank of the Hospital da Mulher Prof. Dr. J. A. Pinotti-CAISM/UNICAMP. Establishing and understanding the placenta as a central mechanism in fetal metabolic programming will bring visibility to knowledge and strategies for the management of metabolic disorders and associated diseases at an early rate. The results of this proposal may support the fight against obesity in the short, medium and long term. (AU)