Lipids: Role in Embryonic Development (Review)
Marisol León
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Brasil.
A. C. B. Rodrigues
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Brasil.
A. O. M. Turquetti
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Brasil.
A. D. Cereta
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Brasil.
L. F. Melo
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Brasil.
L. M. Durand
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Brasil.
A. L. J. Delgado
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Brasil.
D. Evangelista-Leite
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Brasil.
M. A. Miglino *
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Brasil.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: We propose to briefly review the specific role of lipids in embryonic structures development.
Results: Lipids are organic substances insoluble in water, divided into several classes, such as fatty acids, glycolipids, phospholipids, ceramides, sphingolipids, and stereo-lipids. They participate in processes of cellular metabolism and embryonic development which are associated with signalling, proliferation and cell migration. They act in developmental processes such as calcification and bone mineralization, pulmonary maturity, cellular differentiation, and neural survival, epithelial cells polarization and muscle formation, in which phospholipids as a major group, work more regularly. Lipids during embryonic development work directly as transport molecules or cell markers. In addition to an imbalance in its enzymatic and protein precursors (such as choline kinase), lipids can increase or decrease lipid concentration in cells, prevent its biotransformation, or affect its synergy with other molecules, leading to failures in the formation of organs such as the heart, brain, and bones. This aims to further the understanding of these processes and highlight its feasibility for future clinical applications.
Conclusion: Lipids maintain cell membrane integrity in blastocysts, transport calcium to nerve and bone cells, facilitate neural apoptosis, and promote pulmonary maturation. These results aid in the understanding and prediction of alterations in lipidic metabolic syndromes in several pathological disorders during organ development.
Keywords: Lipids, embryonic development, embryonic lethality, pulmonary maturation, neural development, bone formation