Oregon Health & Science University researchers have made new discoveries about the amniotic fluid, a substance historically is not well understood in medical research due to the difficulty of obtaining it during pregnancy, especially in all gestation.
The amniotic fluid is the vital liquid that surrounds and protects a fetus during pregnancy. In addition to providing a very necessary mattress and protection for the fetus, it also helps the development of vital organs, especially lungs, digestive tract and skin, and stabilizes the temperature inside the uterus.
The new study, published in the magazine Research and practice in thrombosis and hemostasisHe discovered that the addition of amniotic fluid to plasma, the liquid portion of the blood, improves the ability of the blood to thickens and coagulate, which is a critical and probably protective function throughout pregnancy and during childbirth for both the father and For the baby as for the baby. .
The mechanism of the role of amniotic fluid in fetal development is not well understood and is imposing me: the OHSU study is one of the first to identify how the characteristics and properties of amniotic fluids change over time, especially those properties that play a paper in the thickness of the blood. and how these changes can affect how maternal blood coagulates. If the blood of a pregnant person does not coagule properly, it can create potentially mortal complications for the fetus and the childbirth father, including excessive bleeding during pregnancy and childbirth.
“We have always known that the amniotic liquid is very important for fetal development and growth, but we do not know much about it,” said the corresponding author of the study Jamie Lo, MD, MCR, associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Maternal -Cetal Medicine) at the Faculty of Medicine of OHSU and the Division of Reproductive and Development Sciences at the National Primates Research Center of Oregon, or ONPRC. “We examine the amniotic fluid during pregnancy and discover that, in fact, composition and proteins in the amniotic fluid change so that they coincide with the growing needs of the developing baby.”
This discovery led to what and his team to work with scientists in the OHSU Biomedical Engineering Department to immerse itself deeper into the possible protective factors of the amniotic fluid, and consider possible regenerative and therapeutic uses that could develop along the way.
The investigation involved a multidisciplinary team that includes LO, Chih Jen Yang, MD, Lyndsey Shorey-Kendrick, Ph.D., Joseph Shatzel, MDMCR, Brian Scottoline, MD, Ph.D. and Owen McCarty, Ph.D.
The researchers analyzed the properties of the amniotic fluid obtained by amniocentesis, a prenatal test that implies the sampling of a small amount of amniotic fluid to examine the health of pregnancy, of human and non -human primates at gestational age time points. The findings showed that the amniotic fluid increases the coagulation of the blood through key fatty acids and proteins that change each quarter and help regulate coagulation.
With the potential without exploiting so that the amniotic fluid helps to diagnose and treat several prenatal conditions, the researchers are now collaborating with Sanjay Malhotra, Ph.D., professor of cell biology, development and cancer at the OHSU School of Medicine, for Attack pregnancy pregnancy disorders, including disorders that affect blood organs and blood shape, which could benefit from protein protective properties and other compounds within the amniotic liquid.
The team is also working with OHSU’s fetal care program to collect unique amniotic fluid samples, including pregnancies that undergo repair surgeries in use for neural tube defects, such as spine bifid. The hope is that when studying the amniotic fluid of these pregnancies, it may be possible to determine if there are unique development elements that can be aimed at future interventions to improve health results.
Researchers are eager to learn more about the potential uses of amniotic fluid components and how they could take advantage to improve prenatal and maternal health.
“Babs born prematurely are the critical weeks that take place within the amniotic fluid,” said the senior author of the study Brian Scottoline, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatology), OHSU School of Medicine. “But if we have a better understanding of amniotic fluid, how it develops and what properties are valuable for functions, that opens many new possibilities to create new therapies.”
“Through our research, our team is learning that the amniotic fluid can be a critical precursor of breast milk, almost like ‘prize’ milk for a fetus in the uterus. With that analogy, could we develop an adequate formula for The premature? “This is really the tip of the iceberg for what is possible.”