# Maternal heart and carotenoid metabolism

> **NIH NIH F31** · RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J. · 2020 · $39,060

## Abstract

Project Summary
Pregnancy-related deaths associated with cardiac events (preeclampsia, cardiovascular disease) have recently
increased in the U.S. with a higher occurrence among African American and Hispanic women. Many signaling
pathways have been associated with the physiological hypertrophy of the heart that occurs during pregnancy.
However, how the pathways that control remodeling are activated and influenced during pregnancy has yet to
be fully understood. There are metabolic adaptations that occur in the heart during pregnancy which may be
being mediated and influenced by the intake of essential nutrients in the diet. Vitamin A is needed for the function
of many organs and has been linked to the function of the adult heart. Retinoic acid is the active form of vitamin
A that has been implicated in cardiac remodeling. However, whether or not retinoid are essential during the
cardiac remodeling that occurs during pregnancy is still unknown. β-carotene, primarily obtained from fruits and
vegetables, is the most abundant dietary precursor of vitamin A and its derivatives (retinoids). β-carotene can
be cleaved asymmetrically by the mitochondrial β-carotene 9’,10’-oxygenase (BCO2) to generate β-apo-
10’carotenal, which can serve as a precursor of retinoids, but may also antagonize retinoic acid action. Our
preliminary findings indicate that retinoic acid synthesis may be favored in the heart of wild-type (WT) mice during
pregnancy, suggesting a potential role of the active vitamin A metabolite in sustaining maternal cardiac
hypertrophy (remodeling). We found that Bco2 mRNA levels increased in the hypertrophic heart of WT dams at
mid-gestation. In addition, in the absence of BCO2 (Bco2-/- mice) the maternal heart fails to enlarge during
pregnancy. Based on these premises, we hypothesized that BCO2 may contribute to physiological hypertrophy
of the maternal heart via the generations of β-apo-10’-carotenal, which in turn could generate retinoic acid or
antagonize its action. We propose two Specific Aims: Aim 1: To define the changes in BCO2 expression, retinoid
and lipid metabolism in the maternal heart during pregnancy; and Aim 2: To test whether β-apo-10’carotenal is
essential for maternal cardiac hypertrophy. Understanding the role of carotenoid and retinoid metabolism in this
process will allows us to ultimately design dietary preventative measures to potentially decrease adverse cardiac
function during pregnancy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9998013
- **Project number:** 5F31HL143930-03
- **Recipient organization:** RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J.
- **Principal Investigator:** Chelsee Holloway
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $39,060
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-01 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9998013

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9998013, Maternal heart and carotenoid metabolism (5F31HL143930-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9998013. Licensed CC0.

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