– scientists have studied crab-eating macaques to map out the changes that occur during pregnancy in the body's metabolic pathways.
– The study collected tissue samples from 12 captive-bred monkeys in early, mid, and late pregnancy to identify the full set of small-molecule chemicals known as'metabolomes'.
– During pregnancy, 91 metabolites changed consistently across all 23 tissues sampled, with skeletal muscles' coupling with heart tissues decreasing in the first and second trimester
– In early pregnancy, the uterus backs off from its ongoing metabolic agreement with the heart and skeletal muscles, coupling with the developing placenta instead
– By the third trimester, skeletal muscles had developed a significant exchange with the spinal cord, indicating a shift in metabolic coupling
re-eclampsia in pregnant women had a drop in levels of metabolite corticosterone and palmitoylcarnitine,
which is involved in processing fatty acids, indicating potential metabolic conditions during pregnancy
– Further research is needed to understand the reasons for the drastic reprogramming of metabolic pathways during pregnancy.