The effects of chronic prenatal hypoxia on the fetal and adult offspring cardiovascular system are prevented by maternal treatment with vitamin C during pregnancy. (journals.plos.org)
Therefore, the primary novelty of the discoveries reported here is that programming by prenatal chronic hypoxia of cardiac and vascular dysfunction in adulthood follows the induction of oxidative stress in the fetal heart and vasculature, and that cardiac and endothelial dysfunction in adulthood can both be prevented by maternal treatment with antioxidants during pregnancy. (journals.plos.org)
It is interesting that the balance of redox modulation of vascular tone, imposed by the O2 • −: NO ratio, may be tipped in either direction to promote disequilibrium, as maternal treatment with vitamin C in normoxic pregnancy also promoted endothelial dysfunction. (journals.plos.org)