Folate availability in the rat embryo: implications in maternal diabetes and its modulation by mTOR

ROMINA HIGA

VIRTUAL

Simposio; IX SLIMP Latin American Symposium on Maternal Fetal Interaction and Placenta; 2022

SLIMP

Folate metabolism is essential in nucleic acid synthesis and contributes to homocysteine remethylation, impacting epigenetic regulation. Thus, folates are critically important in widespread cellular events, including sustained cell division occurring during embryo development. It is well known that folic acid supplementation highly reduces the induction of congenital malformations in both human pregnancy and experimental model of diseases. Maternal diabetes is associated with increased risks of congenital malformations. Different putative mechanisms of action of folate in the prevention of the increased resorption and malformation rate observed in animal models of maternal diabetes will be discussed.There are different mechanisms involved in folate incorporation to the embryo. Besides, it is well established that mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling functions as a folate sensor in placental trophoblast. The effects of mTOR inhibition during rat pregnancy on embryonic folate levels and its relationship to embryo development will be presented