Browsing by Author "Faas, Marijke"

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    Disrupted stemness and redox homeostasis in mesenchymal stem cells of neonates from mothers with obesity: implications for increased adiposity
    (2025) Bellalta Bremer, Sofía Paz; Pinheiro-Machado, Erika; Prins, Jelmer; Plösch, Torsten; Casanello Toledo, Paola Cecilia; Faas, Marijke
    Maternal obesity is a risk factor for increased fetal adiposity. The underlying mechanisms remain unclear, however, emerging evidence suggests that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are the precursors of adipocytes, from neonates of mothers with obesity exhibit enhanced adipogenic differentiation potential. We hypothesise that the MSCs of neonates from mothers with obesity have different stemness potential and redox state compared to the MSCs from mothers with normal weight. MSCs were isolated from neonates of women with obesity (BMI>30 kg/m², OB-MSCs) and women with normal weight (BMI <25 kg/m², NW-MSCs). OB-MSCs showed reduced stemness potential, as seen by a lower OCT3/4 expression and lower clonogenic capacity, than NW-MSCs (p<0.05). In addition, OB-MSCs showed higher levels of mitochondrial superoxide (O2•-), together with lower antioxidant SOD2 gene expression, compared to NW-MSCs (p<0.05). Conversely, OB-MSCs had higher levels of glutathione (GSH) compared to NW-MSCs (p<0.05). Upon exposure to H2O2 (250 μM), OB-MSCs displayed attenuated antioxidant response, with lower SOD1, SOD2 and GPX1 gene expression as compared to NW-MSCs (p<0.05). Upon exposure to higher oxidative stress (H2O2, 400 μM), total ROS levels were lower in OB-MSCs than in NW-MSCs. In contrast, when challenged for mitochondrial ROS, OB-MSCs showed higher levels of mitochondrial superoxide production as compared to NW-MSCs (p<0.05). Our results indicate that OB-MSCs have lower stemness potential, elevated mitochondrial O2•- and a different basal and oxidative stress-induced redox profile compared to NW-MSCs. These changes in OB-MSCs could predispose them to an increase adipogeneic commitment.
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    Human umbilical vein endothelium-derived exosomes play a role in foetoplacental endothelial dysfunction in gestational diabetes mellitus
    (2018) Sáez, Tamara; Salsoso Rodríguez, M. Rocío; Leiva Mendoza, Andrea Alejandra; Toledo, Fernando; de Vos, Paul; Faas, Marijke; Sobrevía Luarte, Luis Alberto
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    The role of mesenchymal stem cells in early programming of adipose tissue in the offspring of women with obesity
    (2024) Bellalta Bremer, Sofía Paz; Plösch, Torsten; Faas, Marijke; Casanello Toledo, Paola Cecilia
    Maternal obesity is a well-known risk factor for developing premature obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in the progeny. The development of white adipose tissue is a dynamic process that starts during prenatal life: fat depots laid down in utero are associated with the proportion of fat in children later on. How early this programming takes place is still unknown. However, recent evidence shows that mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), the embryonic adipocyte precursor cells, show signatures of the early setting of an adipogenic committed phenotype when exposed to maternal obesity. This review aims to present current findings on the cellular adaptations of MSCs from the offspring of women with obesity and how the metabolic environment of MSCs could affect the early commitment towards adipocytes. In conclusion, maternal obesity can induce early programming of fetal adipose tissue by conditioning MSCs. These cells have higher expression of adipogenic markers, altered insulin signalling and mitochondrial performance, compared to MSCs of neonates from lean pregnancies. Fetal MSCs imprinting by maternal obesity could help explain the increased risk of childhood obesity and development of further noncommunicable diseases.