Smoking during pregnancy may damage baby’s liver, finds study | Health - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Smoking during pregnancy may damage baby’s liver, finds study

Indo Asian News Service | ByIndo Asian News Service, London
May 31, 2017 03:38 PM IST

New research shows that chemicals in cigarettes are particularly harmful to prenatal developing liver cells.

Smoking cigarettes during pregnancy is likely to cause damage to foetal organs, especially to the liver, and may do lasting harm, reveals a study.

Researchers analysed the effects of maternal smoking on liver tissue using embryonic stem cells.(Shutterstock)
Researchers analysed the effects of maternal smoking on liver tissue using embryonic stem cells.(Shutterstock)

The findings, led by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, showed that the potent cocktail of 7,000 chemicals in cigarettes was particularly harmful to the prenatal developing liver cells.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

The liver plays a major role in regulating metabolism by clearing toxic substances from the body. The study also showed that these chemicals damage livers of male and female foetuses differently. While the male tissue showed liver scarring, the female tissue showed more damage to cell metabolism, the researchers said.

For the study, published in the journal Archives of Toxicology, the team developed a novel way to analyse the effects of maternal smoking on liver tissue using embryonic stem cells.

The study also showed that these chemicals damage livers of male and female foetuses differently. (Shutterstock)
The study also showed that these chemicals damage livers of male and female foetuses differently. (Shutterstock)

“Cigarette smoke is known to have damaging effects on the foetus, yet we lack appropriate tools to study this in a very detailed way. This new approach means that we now have sources of renewable tissue that will enable us to understand the cellular effect of cigarettes on the unborn foetus,” said David Hay from the University of Edinburgh.

Scientists used pluripotent stem cells – non-specialised cells that have the distinctive ability to be able to transform into other cell types – to build foetal liver tissue. Liver cells were exposed to harmful chemicals found in cigarettes, including specific substances known to circulate in foetuses when mothers smoke.

The results revealed that a chemical cocktail – similar to that found in cigarettes – harmed foetal liver health more than individual components.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more.

Oscars 2024: From Nominees to Red Carpet Glam! Get Exclusive Coverage on HT. Click Here

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On