Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40906934›Full record

ArticleExperimental physiology2026

Antenatal betamethasone impairs markers of cardiac development and function in near-term lambs.

Reza Amanollahi, Ashley S Meakin, Stacey L Holman, Vicki L Clifton, Kent L Thornburg, Michael D Wiese, Kathryn L Gatford, Mitchell C Lock, Janna L Morrison

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Experimental physiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Reza AmanollahiEarly Origins of Adult Health Research Group, Health and Biomedical Innovation; UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6960-7703
Ashley S MeakinEarly Origins of Adult Health Research Group, Health and Biomedical Innovation; UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Stacey L HolmanEarly Origins of Adult Health Research Group, Health and Biomedical Innovation; UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Vicki L CliftonPregnancy and Development Group, Mater Research Institute, University of Queensland South Brisbane, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Kent L ThornburgDepartment of Medicine, Center for Developmental Health, Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Bob and Charlee Moore Institute of Nutrition and Wellness, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
Michael D WieseCentre for Pharmaceutical Innovation, Clinical & Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Kathryn L GatfordRobinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2823-3004
Mitchell C LockEarly Origins of Adult Health Research Group, Health and Biomedical Innovation; UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3594-1455
Janna L MorrisonEarly Origins of Adult Health Research Group, Health and Biomedical Innovation; UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8602-8519

Funding

Australian Research Council Future Fellowship FT170100431Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation of South Australia 20190628Robinson Research InstituteUniversity of South Australia President's Scholarship
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Antenatal corticosteroids are commonly administered to promote fetal lung maturation; however, their impact on heart development is not well understood. This study therefore investigated the effects of antenatal betamethasone on cardiac development in near-term lambs, using tissues collected from a cohort of ewes with mild experimentally induced asthma. Pregnant ewes received two doses of either saline (Saline) or betamethasone (Betamethasone, intramuscular, 11.4 mg) given 24 h apart, before delivery at 140 days of gestation (term = 150days of gestation). Cardiac protein expression and hormone concentrations in the left ventricle were analysed using western blot and LC-MS/MS, respectively. Fetal and neonatal heart rate and blood pressure were higher in Betamethasone compared to Saline lambs. Betamethasone lambs had lower cardiac concentrations of cortisol, corticosterone, oestradiol, progesterone and thyroxine but a higher triiodothyronine. The protein ratio of glucocorticoid receptor GRβ:GRα-A was higher in the hearts of Betamethasone compared to Saline. Additionally, the expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (a marker of cardiac proliferative capacity), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (a marker of DNA replication) and the fatty acid transporter CD36 were lower in Betamethasone lambs. These findings suggest that antenatal betamethasone may disrupt normal heart development by altering glucocorticoid receptor isoform expression and reducing cardiac exposure to glucocorticoid and sex hormones. Consequently, this leads to decreased expression of markers associated with cardiac growth and fatty acid uptake. These alterations in heart development caused by antenatal corticosteroids exposure may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life if these changes persist into adulthood.

Indexed as

BetamethasoneGlucocorticoidsHeartAnimalsBiomarkersBlood PressureCorticosteroneFemalePregnancyPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsReceptors, GlucocorticoidSheepBetamethasoneBiomarkersCorticosteroneGlucocorticoidsReceptors, Glucocorticoidantenatal corticosteroidcardiac hormonescardiac metabolismfetal developmentglucocorticoidsheep

Identifiers

PMID40906934
PMCPMC12949091

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.