Environmental Toxicants and Placental Function

Overview

Journal Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Gynecology & Obstetrics

Date 2022 Oct 23

PMID 36274037

Authors

Michael S Bloom

Meghana Varde

Roger B Newman

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The placenta is a temporary endocrine organ that facilitates gas, nutrient, and waste exchange between maternal and fetal compartments, partially shielding the fetus from potentially hazardous environmental toxicants. However, rather than being "opaque", the placenta is translucent or even transparent to some potential fetal developmental hazards, including toxic trace elements (TEs), perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and environmental phenols (EPs) to which women with pregnancy are frequently exposed. These agents are both passively and actively transferred to the fetal compartment, where endocrine disruption, oxidative stress, and epigenetic changes may occur. These pathologies may directly impact the fetus or deposit and accumulate in the placenta to indirectly impact fetal development. Thus, it is critical for clinicians to understand the potential placental toxicity and transfer of widely distributed environmental agents ubiquitous during pregnancy. With such knowledge, targeted interventions and clinical recommendations can be developed to limit those risks.

Citing Articles

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Outcomes Related to Metabolic Syndrome: A Review of the Literature and Current Recommendations for Clinicians.

Hall A, Braun J Am J Lifestyle Med. 2025; 19(2):211-229.

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Racial and ethnic differences in prenatal exposure to environmental phenols and parabens in the ECHO Cohort.

Bloom M, Upadhyaya S, Nzegwu A, Kuiper J, Buckley J, Aschner J J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2025; .

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Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals placental response under environmental stress.

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Associations between placental hydroxymethylation and birthweight.

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Urinary arsenic and spontaneous pregnancy loss - a hypothesis-generating case-control investigation in western Romania.

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