Scientists discovered more than 90 changes in all organs of pregnant monkeys – study
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Scientists have noticed drastic changes in the metabolism of primates during pregnancy. The study described 91 changes – they were in almost every organ.
This is stated in a study published in the scientific journal Cell, writes ScienceAlert.
The scientists say that this work will help to better understand pregnancy problems such as recurrent miscarriages, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes.
A team of biologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing studied crab-eating macaques to map the changes in their bodies during pregnancy. These monkeys are one of the closest primates to humans.
| Photo: Hvoenok/Depositphotos |
The researchers collected 273 tissue samples from 12 captive-bred monkeys:
- three non-pregnant women;
- three – in the early stages of pregnancy (5-8 weeks);
- three – in the middle of pregnancy (12-15 weeks);
- three – in the late stages of pregnancy (18-20 weeks).
From each of the primates, the scientists took a sample of blood serum and samples of 22 tissues from different body systems (in particular, the uterus, liver, spinal cord, skin, blood and five different areas of the heart).
Samples from non-pregnant monkeys provided a baseline for how certain metabolic pathways interact prior to pregnancy.
During pregnancy, 91 metabolites – substances formed in the cells, tissues and organs of living organisms in the process of intermediate metabolism – changed sequentially in all 23 monkey tissue samples.
In early pregnancy, the samples showed that the uterus abandons the current metabolic “coherence” with the heart and skeletal muscles. Instead, it connects to the developing placenta.
A fully formed placenta by the second trimester sent metabolites to the heart, ovaries, and liver of the pregnant monkey.
In addition, the uterus shifted its “attention” to the metabolic exchange with the tissue of the scalp.
In the third trimester of pregnancy, tissue samples from monkeys showed that skeletal muscles had developed a significant exchange with the spinal cord.
The team says that they did not expect this evolution and reduction in metabolic coupling, and it is not yet clear why these changes occur as they do.
If the metabolic “reprogramming” does not follow this scheme, repeated miscarriages, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes may occur.
Interestingly, the scientists also tested the role of 91 metabolites in human cell models and 32 serum samples from pregnant women.
Pregnant women with pre-eclampsia – a dangerous condition characterized by high blood pressure, severe swelling and protein-rich urine – had significantly lower levels of the metabolite corticosterone, which is involved in placental maturation.
Another key metabolite during pregnancy is palmitoylcarnitine, which regulates immunity and is involved in fatty acid processing. Levels were elevated in the tissues of early and mid-pregnant monkeys, and in a number of organs – the liver, pancreas, heart and kidneys.
Read also: In the USA, a woman with two uteruses became pregnant in each of them. Children can be born on different days
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