Nanoparticles are tiny particles that range between 1 to 100 nanometers and are undetected by the naked human eye and conventional microscopes. These small human-made particles are found in thousands of standard products and now researchers claim they can also be found in the protective barrier that usually protects fetuses.
A new study from scientists at Rutgers University found out that there are nanoparticles in the placenta that likely came from the mother's lungs when they unknowingly inhaled these particles, Nanowerk reported. The team studied factors that produce low birth weight in babies when they detected the nanoparticles.
Nanoparticles Inhaled During Pregnancy Can Cross the Placenta That Protects the Fetus
Nanoparticles Detected in Placenta
In the study titled "Maternal, Placental, and Fetal Distribution of Titanium After Repeated Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Inhalation Through Pregnancy," published n the journal Placenta, researchers reported that they were able to detect the movement of nanoparticles made of metal titanium oxide through the bodies of pregnant rats.
The team explains that some of the nanoparticles these rodents smelled were able to escape the initial barrier and flowed through the placenta, the protective barrier that filters foreign substances to protect the fetus.
Study author Phoebe Stapleton said that the particles are so small that it is impossible to find. They used specialized techniques to find evidence of the particles that migrated from the mother's lungs to the placenta and possibly the fetal tissues after maternal exposure during pregnancy.
Scientists were first surprised to detect titanium dioxide in the control group of rats during the experiment, although they were not exposed to nanoparticles. But it turns out that the food they ate contained titanium dioxide.
Do Nanoparticles Affect Fetuses?
According to a similar report from News Medical Life Sciences, the research was started because of the investigations on low birth weight in human infants or those who weigh less than 5.5 pounds and are at higher risk for adverse health effects throughout their lives.
Stapleton said that one of their theories suggests that mothers who inhaled harmful particulates could give birth to babies with low birth weights due to the inflammation that affects bodily systems, such as blood flow in the uterus, that may have inhibited fetal growth.
He emphasized the importance of the findings of the study, noting that it will help scientists work on answering other questions on low birth weight and help inform future studies of exposure during pregnancy, fetal health, and the onset of diseases.
How Can Nanoparticles Affect Health?
Particulates are present in air pollution coming from traffic emissions, according to European Union. They can affect human health, but experts found that nanoparticles are more harmful than larger particles.
The inhaled particulate matter could be deposited in the respiratory tract, but nanoparticles can potentially move from the lungs into other organs, like the brain, liver, spleen, and fetus in pregnant women. The number of particles that move from one organ to another may depend on the exposure time. It can also cause lung inflammation and heart problems.
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