Table 1.
Animal Models of Gestational Androgen Excess and Its Effect on Placental Function
| Study (Ref.) | Animal | Androgen Intervention | Effect of Androgen Intervention on Placental Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sathishkumar et al., 2011 (107) | Rodent | 0.5 mg/kg T propionate daily, gestational days 15–19 | Decreased fetal weights and PWs, but no difference in BW/PW ratio |
| Decreased placental amino acid transport | |||
| Sun et al., 2012 (121) | Rodent | 5 mg T daily, gestational days 16–19 | Decreased fetal weights and PWs, but no difference in BW/PW ratio |
| Increased placental expression of ER-α and ER-β, androgen receptor, and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 | |||
| Chinnathambi et al., 2014 (126) | Rodent | 0.5 mg/kg T propionate daily, gestational days 15–19 | Decreased fetal weights and PWs |
| Increased gene and protein expression of hypoxia-responsive genes HIF-1α, Ankrd 37, and Egln | |||
| Hu et al., 2015 (127) | Rodent | 0.5 mg/kg T daily, gestational days 15–19, with or without tamoxifen 10 µg/kg daily | Decreased PW and increased STAT3 expression |
| Gopalakrishnan et al., 2016 (125) | Rodent | 0.5 mg/kg T propionate daily, gestational days 15–19 | Decreased fetal weights and PWs, but no difference in BW/PW ratio |
| Decreased uterine artery blood flow and elevated vascular resistance | |||
| Sex-specific alterations in utero placental vasculature | |||
| Fornes et al., 2017 (128) | Rodent | 100 µL of DHT daily, gestational days 15.5–17.5 | No difference in fetal weights or PWs |
| Control diet vs high-fat-high sucrose diet | Increased placental AR expression | ||
| Fornes et al., 2019 (129) | Rodent | 100 µL of DHT daily, gestational days 15.5–18.5 | Differential expression of phosphorylated catechol-O-methyltransferase depending on maternal diet |
| Control diet vs high-fat/high-sucrose diet | |||
| Beckett et al., 2014 (108) | Sheep | 100 mg IM of T propionate biweekly, gestational days 30–90 | Placental insufficiency at gestational day 140 (decreased BW/PW ratio) |
| Advanced placental differentiation | |||
| Cleys et al., 2015 (120) | Sheep | 100 mg IM of T propionate biweekly, gestational days 30–90 | Decreased fetal weight (female lambs only) at gestational day 90 |
| Advanced placental differentiation | |||
| Increased mRNA and protein expression of VEGF |
Abbreviation: VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor.