Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116142

Philemon Kirui, Biology, Jackson State University, 1400 Lynch St., Jackson, MS 39209, 601-979-1701, bet_bet_orr1@hotmail.com, Anthony R. Mawson, MA, DrPH, School of Public Health, College of Public Service, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Services Research, Jackson State University, 350 West Woodrow Wilson Avenue, Suite 2280, Jackson, MS 39213, and William Bennett, PhD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State St, Jackson, MS 39216.

Pregnancy-related disorders, adverse birth outcomes, and adult onset vascular diseases are more common among African Americans than in the general population, but the connection between these phenomenon remains uncertain. The association between low birth weight (LBW) and later-onset vascular disease is commonly attributed to maternal-fetal undernutrition and/or poor utero-placental perfusion. However, LBW is often preceded by pregnancy-related disorders, suggesting that alterations in maternal metabolic functioning could be the basis of the LBW-vascular disease link. We hypothesize that hepatic dysfunction is an important initiating factor and that the LBW-vascular disease link is due in part to toxic biliary metabolites of vitamin A (retinoids) that are regurgitated into the circulation from the maternal liver, inducing preeclampsia and LBW and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) as a functions of retinoid toxicity. The low serum retinol levels typically seen in preeclampsia and in LBW infants could be due to impaired hepatic mobilization, associated with cholestasis. Streptozotocin (SZT) is known to induce cholestasis, maternal diabetes, preeclampsia, and LBW in rats, and thus provides a convenient animal model for testing the retinoid toxicity hypothesis of IUGR/LBW. This study will test the hypotheses that 1) SZT-induced hepatic dysfunction is associated with increased levels of retinyl esters, retinoic acid, and other biliary retinoid compounds, but low or normal levels of retinol and retinol binding-protein (RBP); 2) increased retinoid levels are associated with preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and LBW; and 3) the association between hepatic dysfunction, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and IUGR/LBW is due to retinyl esters and/or retinoic acid.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.Have a better understanding of health disparities with respect to pregnancy related conditions and adverse birth outcomes
• 2.Discuss different theories of low birth weight and its association with later onset of vascular diseases
• 3.Understand the retinoid toxicity model of pregnancy related conditions and adverse birth outcomes.

Keywords: Birth Outcomes, Pregnancy Outcomes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.