Ostrow researchers received a five-year grant to study how popular antidepressants interact with pregnant women’s genes to cause craniofacial birth defects
Nearly 25% of pregnant women take citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that works by increasing the level of the "feel good" hormone serotonin.
Although antidepressants may have a positive effect on mothers, they are related to the development of infant craniofacial defects.
Ostrow researchers have received a five-year grant from the National Institute of Dentistry and Craniofacial Research to better understand the relationship between the use of citalopram and a common craniofacial defect called craniosynostosis Link.
"Craniofacial deformity is a common congenital defect that can adversely affect the quality of life," said associate professor "Jeff" Chen, one of the main investigators of the study. "Although studies have shown that certain gene mutations are the cause of craniofacial dysfunction, ... in general, we know very little about the environmental factors and gene-environment interactions that cause premature craniosynostosis."
Research Vice Dean Dr. Yang Chai '91, DDS '96 is also the main investigator of this research.
Premature craniofacial occlusion is a craniofacial disease characterized by premature fusion of the cranial sutures between the baby's skulls. Usually these sutures (or "soft spots") in the developing baby's skull remain flexible, leaving room for the continued growth of the brain.
When infants have premature closure of the cranial sutures, the brain will continue to grow, but the skull will not. This can cause everything from deformed skulls (in mild cases) to developmental delays, hearing loss, blindness and even death (in more severe cases). Down).
So far, the standard treatment has been for craniofacial surgeons to disassemble the skull, use plates and screws to separate the bones and secure them in place. This is an incredibly invasive procedure, and because the sutures are fused again, they usually have to be performed multiple times.
Ostrow researchers have discovered a way to use biological solutions to treat this problem, which occurs in one in every 2,500 newborns. They added mesenchymal stem cells to a biodegradable gel and applied them to these sutures to prevent them from fusing prematurely.
Although two genes-Twist1 and Tcf12-are known to cause premature craniosynostosis and depletion of mesenchymal stem cells, people are aware of how these genes interact with certain environmental factors, including prescription drug use, smoking, and maternal thyroid disease Little is known about the condition that exacerbates the premature closure of the cranial sutures. disorder.
Research has linked the use of SSRI to birth defects. In a 2015 study, researchers found that some birth defects (including premature craniosynostosis) occurred approximately twice as often as babies born to women who took certain types of SSRI drugs early in pregnancy. three times.
The Ostrow research team hopes to better understand this connection in an effort to improve treatment and ultimately improve the quality of life of these babies, who may experience intellectual disability due to this condition.
"The knowledge we gained in this study will help develop stem cell-based craniofacial tissue regeneration methods to treat craniofacial congenital defects," Chen said. "Ultimately, we hope to develop stem cell-based methods to better treat craniosynostosis defects related to gene-environment interactions."
Chen received a bachelor's degree in microbiology from China Agricultural University. He received a master's degree in plant pathology from Kansas State University and a PhD in cell and developmental biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined Ostrow College as an assistant professor in 2017 and will be promoted to associate professor in 2020. He was recently appointed as the director of Ostrow's PhD in Craniofacial Biology.
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