... infants often begins in utero with chorioamnionitis (CHORIO) or inflammation/infection of the placenta and concomitant placental insufficiency. Studies in humans have shown dysregulated inflammatory signaling throughout the placental-fetal brain axis and altered peripheral immune responses in children...

.... To this end, pregnant CD-1 mice were treated systemically with kynurenine (100 mg/kg), KYNA (10 mg/kg), or saline on embryonic day 18. As expected, administration of either kynurenine or KYNA increased KYNA levels in the maternal plasma and placenta. Maternal kynurenine treatment also raised kynurenine levels...

... death. The placenta has a key role in maintaining neuroactive steroid concentrations in the brain by acting as a source of precursors for neuroactive steroid synthesis. Gestational neuroactive steroid concentrations are needed for normal cell proliferation and cell death in the late gestation brain...

... to be weakly associated with raised maternal cortisol, if at all. The placenta may be a more promising programming vector, because it controls fetal exposure to the maternal environment. Animal studies indicate that prenatal stress can affect the activity of the placental barrier enzyme 11-βHSD2, which...