Environmental pollutant effect on placenta morphology/physiology
Scientific theme
Placenta is a newly formed organ during pregnancy, that shows multifunctional properties. It serves as an interface between the mother and the child and ensures continuous exchange of nutrients, gasses and metabolites. In addition, it prevents the rejection of the fetus by the maternal immune system and produces hormones and growth factors to maintain the pregnancy. Ultimately, acts as a barrier for xenobiotics, either by enzymatic deactivation or by exporting them back to the maternal circulation. However, some xenobiotics can be either accumulated and/or transferred through the placenta, potentially endangering the fetal development and health. With this project we aim to understand to what level ubiquitous environmental pollutants change the placental morphology and physiology. This will provide us with useful information regarding any involvement of environmental pollutants into maternal and fetal health complications.
Team
Coordinator
Team members
Susanne Arnold
Beate Fink
Lisa Wiesner