Some Aspects of the Current State of Prenatal Stress and the Role of Oxidative Stress in the Realization of Its Consequences.

Prenatal stress of any etiology is an integral factor of evolution. The activation of epigenetic processes by increased levels of maternal glucocorticoids changes the life path of newborns in unpredictable ways. Different stressors at different time points of embryogenesis will have different consequences, which also dynamically interact with each other. One dramatic result of such interacting processes is the growth of psychopathologies and neurological diseases. An increase in the level of maternal glucocorticoids causes a disruption of the redox balance in the fetus and, thus, oxidative stress, i.e., the process of shifting the pro- and antioxidant balance towards an increase in the formation of reactive oxygen species. Some epigenetic changes that can cause disorders of central nervous system are the result of oxidative stress. In additional, in normal and stressful conditions, the mother's reaction is mediated by the placenta. As a metabolically active organ, it also has its own system of redox balance, which is also subjected to oxidative stress. Placental epigenetic changes have both positive and negative effects on the fetus. The review examines the recent research on the complex analysis of the multicomponent problem of the causes and consequences of prenatal stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]