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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.
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 the child.
These effects can be visualized in laboratory models using chicken eggs. The blood vessels in the egg actually grow at an enormous speed and density to enable embryonic development. A dense network of fine blood vessels covers the inside of the eggshell. The situation is strikingly different in eggs treated with the altered messenger substances from the nanoparticle-treated placenta: In the experiments, the blood vessel system was not as dense but rather coarse-meshed.
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