Scientists are studying how nanoparticles, which are omnipresent in our environment and suspected of causing developmental issues in unborn children, interact with the placental barrier. Their research has revealed that these particles can disrupt the communication between the placenta and the fetus, particularly affecting blood vessel formation without necessarily being present in the fetal tissue. Researchers are investigating how nanoparticles from various products and environmental sources affect embryonic development by disrupting placental function and indirectly harming fetal tissue, despite the protective placental barrier.
Human life begins with a single egg cell that grows into a human being with trillions of cells. To ensure that the highly complex development of tissues and organs is as protected as possible, the placental barrier keeps pathogens and foreign substances out. Tina Bürki and her team from Empa’s Particles-Biology Interactions laboratory in St.
Gallen are investigating how this protective mechanism copes with nanoparticles. Nanoparticles are contained in a large number of products, but they are also produced during wear and tear as well as through combustion processes. “We absorb these substances from the environment via our food, cosmetics, or the air we breathe,” explains Bürki.
Some of these nanoparticles are suspected of harming babies in the womb. Low birth weight, autism, and respiratory diseases are among the possible consequences for.
