Reply to Carbillon: Fetal/placental weight ratio and placental function
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016•National Acad Sciences
In his Letter to the Editor, Carbillon (1) maintains that our mouse model of maternal obesity
leading to fetal overgrowth (2) may not be relevant for the clinical condition because the
fetal/placental weight ratio was not decreased, as is sometimes found in obese pregnant
women. We disagree with Carbillon's (1) assessment. First, we would like to point out an
inaccuracy that invalidates one of Carbillon's arguments: It is stated that we previously have
reported a decreased fetal/placental weight ratio in the same model (3). However, the model …
leading to fetal overgrowth (2) may not be relevant for the clinical condition because the
fetal/placental weight ratio was not decreased, as is sometimes found in obese pregnant
women. We disagree with Carbillon's (1) assessment. First, we would like to point out an
inaccuracy that invalidates one of Carbillon's arguments: It is stated that we previously have
reported a decreased fetal/placental weight ratio in the same model (3). However, the model …
In his Letter to the Editor, Carbillon (1) maintains that our mouse model of maternal obesity leading to fetal overgrowth (2) may not be relevant for the clinical condition because the fetal/placental weight ratio was not decreased, as is sometimes found in obese pregnant women. We disagree with Carbillon’s (1) assessment.
First, we would like to point out an inaccuracy that invalidates one of Carbillon’s arguments: It is stated that we previously have reported a decreased fetal/placental weight ratio in the same model (3). However, the model used by Lager et al.(3) is not the same as the model of maternal obesity used by Aye et al.(2). For example, in the previous model, fetal growth is typically restricted rather than increased, proven breeders were not used, and animals had ad libitum access to sweetened condensed milk rather than to sucrose.
National Acad Sciences