[Home ] [Archive]    
:: Main :: About :: Current Issue :: Archive :: Search :: Submit :: Contact ::
Main Menu
Home::
Journal Information::
Articles archive::
For Authors::
For Reviewers::
Registration::
Contact us::
Site Facilities::
Indexing::
::
Search in website

Advanced Search
..
Receive site information
Enter your Email in the following box to receive the site news and information.
..
:: Volume 11, Issue 2 (8-2025) ::
Caspian J Reprod Med 2025, 11(2): 7-13 Back to browse issues page
Environmental and social factors in urban settings influencing placental immunology and pregnancy outcomes: A narrative review
Rakesh Kotha *
Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, Telangana, India , dr.rakeshkotha@gmail.com
Abstract:   (53 Views)
Background: Urban environments expose pregnant women to a complex interplay of environmental and social stressors that disrupt placental immunology, contributing to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth (PTB), preeclampsia, and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Key stressors include air pollution, noise, heavy metals, socioeconomic disparities, infections, and maternal microbiome alterations.
Methods: This narrative review synthesizes findings from 39 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025, focusing on urban populations and examining placental immune function and pregnancy outcomes. Studies were categorized into environmental exposures, social determinants, infections, and clinical outcomes.
Results: Air pollutants, notably PM2.5 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), induce placental inflammation and oxidative stress, impairing trophoblast function and increasing PTB and IUGR risk. Heavy metals and urban noise disrupt maternal-fetal immune balance via elevated cortisol and altered cytokine profiles. Socioeconomic stressors, including poverty and systemic inequities, amplify pro-inflammatory placental responses and elevate preeclampsia risk. Infections like SARS-CoV-2 and cytomegalovirus (CMV) intensify placental immune activation, worsening adverse pregnancy outcomes. The maternal microbiome in urban environments shapes neonatal immune development. Mechanistically, these stressors converge on inflammatory pathways, impaired vascularization, and epigenetic modifications, with long-term implications for offspring health.
Conclusion: Urban stressors synergistically impair placental immunology, driving adverse pregnancy outcomes. Integrated interventions—improved air quality, equitable prenatal care, stress reduction, and microbiome-targeted strategies—are critical. Future research should focus on longitudinal, multi-exposure, and omics-based studies to develop targeted interventions for urban populations.
Keywords: Intrauterine Growth Restriction, Maternal Microbiome, Placental Immunology, Preeclampsia, Preterm Birth, Urban Stressors
Full-Text [PDF 627 kb]   (25 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Review Article | Subject: Reproductive Health
Received: 2025/07/13 | Accepted: 2025/08/19 | Published: 2025/08/31
Send email to the article author

Add your comments about this article
Your username or Email:

CAPTCHA


XML     Print


Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:

Kotha R. Environmental and social factors in urban settings influencing placental immunology and pregnancy outcomes: A narrative review . Caspian J Reprod Med 2025; 11 (2) :7-13
URL: http://caspjrm.ir/article-1-276-en.html


Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Volume 11, Issue 2 (8-2025) Back to browse issues page
Caspian Journal of Reproductive Medicine
Caspian J Repord Med: Infertility and Reproductive Health Research Center of Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol-Amol old highway, after Mohammadhasan Khan bridge, Babol, Mazandaran, Iran, P.O. Box: 47135-547 Tel: +98-11-32274881-2 Fax: +98-11-32274880 E-mail: info@caspjrm.ir Website: www.caspjrm.ir
Persian site map - English site map - Created in 0.06 seconds with 37 queries by YEKTAWEB 4714