Maternal iron deficiency perturbs embryonic cardiovascular development in mice
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Jacinta I Kalisch-Smith Nikita Ved Dorota Szumska Jacob Munro Michael Troup Shelley E Harris Helena Rodriguez-Caro Aimée Jacquemot Jack J Miller Eleanor M Stuart Magda Wolna Emily Hardman Fabrice Prin Eva Lana-Elola Rifdat Aoidi Elizabeth MC Fisher Victor Tybulewicz Timothy J Mohun Samira Lakhal-Littleton Sarah De Val Eleni Giannoulatou Duncan B SparrowAbstract
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common class of human birth defects, with a prevalence of 0.9% of births. However, two-thirds of cases have an unknown cause, and many of these are thought to be caused by in utero exposure to environmental teratogens. Here we identify a potential teratogen causing CHD in mice: maternal iron deficiency (ID). We show that maternal ID in mice causes severe cardiovascular defects in the offspring. These defects likely arise from increased retinoic acid signalling in ID embryos. The defects can be prevented by iron administration in early pregnancy. It has also been proposed that teratogen exposure may potentiate the effects of genetic predisposition to CHD through gene-environment interaction. Here we show that maternal ID increases the severity of heart and craniofacial defects in a mouse model of Down syndrome. It will be important to understand if the effects of maternal ID seen here in mice may have clinical implications for women.
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Journal Nature Communications
Volume 12
Issue number 1
Pages 3447
Available online
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Publisher website (DOI) 10.1038/s41467-021-23660-5
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Europe PubMed Central 34103494
Pubmed 34103494
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