It is not the first time nor unfortunately it will be the last that experts insist on the importance of avoiding tobacco during pregnancy as it is associated with problems for the baby. Well, a new study carried out by the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal), in collaboration with Emory University, Atlanta (United States), reinforces the idea by finding an association between maternal smoking, placental DNA methylation and a worse labor outcome.
The results, published in the journal Nature Communications, also indicate that these changes in the placenta may affect the expression of genes involved in responses to environmental factors, growth and inflammation, which would explain a slowdown in fetal growth .
In Europe, around one in 10 women smoke during pregnancy
The harmful effects of tobacco on fetal health are a major problem according to ISGlobal researchers, although the mechanisms behind tobacco smoke toxicity are still not entirely clear.
Environmental exposures can induce epigenetic changes, that is, chemical modifications in the genome that in turn affect gene expression. One of these modifications is DNA methylation, which occurs mainly at CpG sites.
Mariona Bustamante, a researcher at ISGlobal and her colleagues set out to characterize the impact of maternal smoking on the placental epigenome through a meta-analysis of seven independent cohort studies from the PACE consortium, including a total of 1,700 mothers in Australia, France, Spain, Canada and USA
The researchers explored the consequences of these associations and found that they were in contact with some genes that respond to environmental factors, regulate inflammatory activity, signal through growth factors, or are involved in cardiometabolic health.
Comparison between these results and those of a previous meta-analysis using umbilical cord blood suggests that the placenta responds to tobacco smoke in a unique and specific way.
The author of the study concludes by pointing out the importance of these results for the good progress of the pregnancy:
“The CpG sites, genes, and metabolic pathways identified in this study can help us elucidate the mechanisms by which maternal smoking affects placental function and fetal growth.”
And remember that if you smoke during pregnancy, your baby does too.
Via | ISGlobal
Photos | iStock
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