Fetal growth retardation (FGR) might be considered a pressing issue in the modern medicine framework. A plethora of scholars and practitioners are dealing with this phenomenon to a great extent nowadays. Below, a thorough discussion on the essence of fetal growth retardation will be provided.
The placenta is a provisional organ, the formation of which occurs during intrauterine development. The structure of the placenta is determined by the processes of implantation, placentation, fetalization and is closely related to its direct functions. The main substrates necessary for the growth and full development of the fetus are oxygen, glucose, amino acids ,and fatty acids (Nardozza et al., 2017). The processes of their transfer are depended on the crucial features of the placenta, among which there are size, its morphological structure, the correct development of the vascular component, and the appropriacy of blood flow of the placental vascular bed.
Then, it should be noted that there is a number of other important aspects, including insulin-like growth factors, apoptosis, autophagy, and glucocorticoid exposure, which also affect placental growth and transport of essential components. Complications of pregnancy and childbirth, as well as FGR syndrome, are usually a result of placental insufficiency. They are related to a considerable degree of perinatal morbidity and mortality. FGR (formally – intrauterine growth restriction) “is defined as a rate of fetal growth that is less than normal for the growth potential of a specific infant as per the race and gender of the foetus” (Sharma, 2016, p. 3978).
Many studies by leading scientists worldwide indicate a causal relationship between fetoplacental pathology and adverse health outcomes in adulthood. The most formidable complications associated with placental insufficiency are antenatal and intrapartum fetal death (Nardozza et al., 2017). During pregnancy in humans, Chen and his colleagues identified a substantial decrease within the scope of the density of the vascular component in the villi and cell proliferation in the trophoblast and stromal cell compartments of the placenta with FGR.
It should be noted that a full-fledged morphological analysis of the placenta, including macroscopic, histological, immunohistochemical, and, if necessary, molecular genetic research, cannot be conducted during pregnancy. The study of the human placenta in vivo is likely to result in particular complications. Such a state of affairs takes place due to the fact that functional research methodology does not give complete essential features of the placenta (Zhang et al., 2015). Then, the invasive methods carried out during pregnancy pose a certain risk for both the mother and the fetus. For a more in-depth study of the processes of formations of placental issues, experimental modeling of FGR in animals is considered as an appropriate option. Given the morphological similarity, for instance, the placenta of higher primates can be compared to the human one.
It can be argued that the experimental dimension provides various ways of placental changes related to human pregnancy and animal models of placental issues that are interconnected with FGR. These differences may depend on the nature, timing, and severity of problems associated with the placenta, as well as with the kind and outcomes of in vivo or in vitro research (Zhang et al., 2015). Nevertheless, it should be emphasized that no animal model could completely recreate the FGR of a person. However, the mentioned approach provides the opportunity to properly explore all the peculiarities of the disorder, as well as to realize the molecular aspects that are relevant to the occurrence of FGR. It also contributes to the creation of new systems of averting and treating the mentioned pathology.
To conclude, fetal growth retardation is a problem that may lead to a number of complications during an infant’s growth and development. A consistent exploration of the phenomenon’s essentials was given above. It was found that it is not easy to study FGR, given possible issues that a mother and fetus may face. In this regard, the related research on animals’ placenta serves as an alternative.
References
Nardozza, L. M., Caetano, A. C., Zamarian, A. C., Mazzola, J. B., Silva, C. P., Marçal, V. M., Lobo, T. F., Peixoto, A. B., & Araujo Júnior, E. (2017). Fetal growth restriction: current knowledge. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 295(5), 1061–1077.
Sharma, D., Shastri, S., Farahbakhsh, N., & Sharma, P. (2016). Intrauterine growth restriction – part 1. The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine, 29(24), 3977–3987.
Zhang, S., Regnault, T. R., Barker, P. L., Botting, K. J., McMillen, I. C., McMillan, C. M., Roberts, C. T., & Morrison, J. L. (2015). Placental Adaptations in Growth Restriction. Nutrients, 7(1), 360–389.