Hannah E J Yong, Oliver C Watkins, Tania K L Mah, Victoria K B Cracknell-Hazra, Reshma Appukuttan Pillai, Preben Selvam, Mohammad O Islam, Neha Sharma, Amaury Cazenave-Gassiot, Anne K Bendt, Markus R Wenk, Keith M Godfrey, Rohan M Lewis, Shiao-Yng Chan
Older pregnant women have increased risks of complications including gestational diabetes and stillbirth. Carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT) expression declines with age in several tissues and is linked with poorer metabolic health. Mitochondrial CPTs catalyze acylcarnitine synthesis, which facilitates fatty acid oxidization as fuel. We hypothesized that the placenta, containing maternally-inherited mitochondria, shows an age-related CPT decline that lowers placental acylcarnitine synthesis, increasing vulnerability to pregnancy complications...
2023: Frontiers in Physiology