Effect of reduced placental expression of zinc transporters on selective intrauterine growth restriction in monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies

Tingting Xu; Yao Kong; Qing Hu; Hua Liao; Chunyan Deng; Xiaodong Wang; Haiyan Yu

doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2025.109840

Effect of reduced placental expression of zinc transporters on selective intrauterine growth restriction in monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies

J Nutr Biochem. 2025 Jan 10:109840. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2025.109840. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Tingting Xu¹, Yao Kong¹, Qing Hu¹, Hua Liao¹, Chunyan Deng¹, Xiaodong Wang¹, Haiyan Yu²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University.; Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Sichuan 610041, China.
² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University.; Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Sichuan 610041, China.. Electronic address: fanjy422@163.com.

PMID: 39800190
DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2025.109840

Abstract

Zinc is an essential trace element. The regulatory mechanism of zinc and its transporters in fetal growth in monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twins with selective intrauterine growth restriction (MCDA-sIUGR) is unclear. A total of 45 MCDA twins were divided into two groups, MCDA (n=37) and MCDA-sIUGR (n=8), to investigate their possible effects on fetal growth. Maternal and fetal serum zinc levels were measured using a microassay. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting were performed to quantify the expression and localization of zinc transporters. Correlation scatter plots and matrices were used to test the correlation between maternal and cord serum zinc levels, placental zinc transporters, and fetal growth. There was a significant difference in fetal birth weight and placental weight among MCDA T_H (higher birth weight of twin), MCDA T_L (lower birth weight of twin), MCDA-sIUGR T_H, and MCDA-sIUGR T_L groups (p<0.05), among which the MCDA-sIUGR T_L group was found to be significantly lower than the other three groups (p<0.05). Placental zinc transporters, including Zip 2, metal regulatory transcription factor 1 (MTF 1), and ZnT1, were significantly decreased in the MCDA-sIUGR T_L group compared to those in the other three groups (p<0.05). Furthermore, we observed varying degrees of correlation between fetal weight and maternal/fetal serum zinc levels and placental zinc transporters. Our study indicates that placental zinc transporters are impaired in MCDA-sIUGR, particularly in lightweight twins. Therefore, we hypothesized that the reduced placental expression of zinc transporters may affect fetal growth in MCDA twins.

Keywords: fetal growth; monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies; selective intrauterine growth restriction; zinc; zinc transporters.