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      Exposure to ergot alkaloids during gestation reduces fetal growth in sheep

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          Abstract

          Tall fescue [ Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh; Schedonorus phoenix (Scop.) Holub] is the primary cool season perennial grass in the eastern U.S. Most tall fescue contains an endophyte ( Neotyphodium coenophialum), which produces ergot alkaloids that cause vasoconstriction and could restrict blood flow to the fetus in pregnant animals. The objective of this study was to examine fetal growth during maternal exposure to ergot alkaloids during gestation. Pregnant ewes ( n = 16) were randomly assigned to one of two dietary treatments: (1) endophyte-infected ( N. coenophialum) tall fescue seed (E+; 0.8 ug of ergovaline /g diet DM) and (2) endophyte-free tall fescue seed (E−; 0.0 ug of ergovaline/g diet DM). Birth weight of lambs was reduced by 37% for E+ compared to E−. Organ and muscle weights were also lighter for E+ than E−. Exposure to ergot alkaloids in utero reduces fetal growth and muscle development.

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          Most cited references42

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          Angiogenesis in the placenta.

          The mammalian placenta is the organ through which respiratory gases, nutrients, and wastes are exchanged between the maternal and fetal systems. Thus, transplacental exchange provides for all the metabolic demands of fetal growth and development. The rate of transplacental exchange depends primarily on the rates of uterine (maternal placental) and umbilical (fetal placental) blood flows. In fact, increased uterine vascular resistance and reduced uterine blood flow can be used as predictors of high risk pregnancies and are associated with fetal growth retardation. The rates of placental blood flow, in turn, are dependent on placental vascularization, and placental angiogenesis is therefore critical for the successful development of viable, healthy offspring. Recent studies, including gene knockouts in mice, indicate that the vascular endothelial growth factors represent a major class of placental angiogenic factors. Other angiogenic factors, such as the fibroblast growth factors or perhaps the angiopoietins, also may play important roles in placental vascularization. In addition, recent observations suggest that these angiogenic factors interact with the local vasodilator nitric oxide to coordinate placental angiogenesis and blood flow. In the future, regulators of angiogenesis that are currently being developed may provide novel and powerful methods to ensure positive outcomes for most pregnancies.
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            Effect of maternal nutrient restriction in sheep on the development of fetal skeletal muscle.

            The effect of maternal nutrient restriction on mTOR (mammalian target of rapamyosin) signaling and the ubiquitin system as well as their possible relation to growth of fetal muscle was determined. Ewes were fed to 50% (nutrient-restricted) or 100% (control-fed) of total digestible nutrients (National Research Council requirement) from Days 28 to 78 of gestation. Ewes were killed at Day 78 of gestation, and the fetal longissimus dorsi muscle was sampled for the measurement of mTOR, ribosomal protein S6, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), calpastatin, and protein ubiquitylation. No difference was observed in the content of mTOR and ribosomal protein S6, but the phosphorylation of mTOR at Ser2448 and ribosomal protein S6 at Ser235/336 were reduced (P <0.05) in muscle from nutrient-restricted fetuses. Because phosphorylation of mTOR and ribosomal protein S6 up-regulates protein translation, these results show that nutrient restriction down-regulates protein synthesis in fetal muscle. No difference in AMPK activity was detected. The lack of difference in calpastatin and ubiquitylized protein content shows that nutrient restriction did not affect degradation of myofibrillar proteins in fetal muscle. Fetuses of nutrient-restricted ewes showed retarded development of muscles and skeleton. Muscle from nutrient-restricted fetuses contained fewer secondary myofibers than muscle from control fetuses, and the average area of fasciculi was smaller (P <0.05). The decreased number of secondary myofibers in nutrient-restricted fetuses may result from the decreased mTOR signaling. Lower activation of mTOR signaling in nutrient-restricted fetuses may reduce the proliferation of myoblasts and, thus, reduce the formation of secondary myofibers. This decrease in secondary myofibers in fetuses may predispose fetuses to metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, in their postnatal lives.
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              Evidence for altered placental blood flow and vascularity in compromised pregnancies.

              The placenta is the organ that transports nutrients, respiratory gases, and wastes between the maternal and fetal systems. Consequently, placental blood flow and vascular development are essential components of normal placental function and are critical to fetal growth and development. Normal fetal growth and development are important to ensure optimum health of offspring throughout their subsequent life course. In numerous sheep models of compromised pregnancy, in which fetal or placental growth, or both, are impaired, utero-placental blood flows are reduced. In the models that have been evaluated, placental vascular development also is altered. Recent studies found that treatments designed to increase placental blood flow can 'rescue' fetal growth that was reduced due to low maternal dietary intake. Placental blood flow and vascular development are thus potential therapeutic targets in compromised pregnancies.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Journal
                Front Chem
                Front Chem
                Front. Chem.
                Frontiers in Chemistry
                Frontiers Media S.A.
                2296-2646
                21 August 2014
                2014
                : 2
                : 68
                Affiliations
                [1] 1Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department, Clemson University Clemson, SC, USA
                [2] 2School of Agricultural Forest and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University Clemson, SC, USA
                Author notes

                Edited by: James Levi Klotz, United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service, USA

                Reviewed by: Christian W. Gruber, Medical University of Vienna, Austria; Alexander Shekhtman, University at Albany, State University of New York, USA; Lester Ronald Fletcher, AgResearch NZ, New Zealand

                *Correspondence: Susan K. Duckett, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department, Clemson University, 145 Poole Ag. Center, Clemson, SC, USA e-mail: sducket@ 123456clemson.edu

                This article was submitted to Chemical Biology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Chemistry.

                Article
                10.3389/fchem.2014.00068
                4139911
                25191653
                47e37cb3-3acd-4619-84b7-4fdbe965a78b
                Copyright © 2014 Duckett, Andrae and Pratt.

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

                History
                : 13 June 2014
                : 04 August 2014
                Page count
                Figures: 5, Tables: 4, Equations: 0, References: 50, Pages: 7, Words: 5485
                Categories
                Chemistry
                Original Research Article

                sheep,ergot alkaloids,fetal growth,muscle development
                sheep, ergot alkaloids, fetal growth, muscle development

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