Tier 3 — preclinical

Maternal Choline and Betaine Supplementation Modifies the Placental Response to Hyperglycemia in Mice and Human Trophoblasts

Khatia Nanobashvili, Chauntelle Jack-Roberts, Rachel Bretter, Naudia Jones, Kathleen Axen, Anjana Saxena, Kali Blain, Xinyin Jiang
Nutrients 2018 10(10):1507

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 30326592
PubMed Central
PMC6213524
DOI
10.3390/nu10101507
Funding
Indexed grant support: n/a — New York Academy of Sciences; 1SC2DK108292 — National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; SC2 DK108292 — NIDDK NIH HHS — United States; ENHC-47-114 — the Professional Staff Congress of the City University of New York; 1SC2DK108292 — National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The indexed list may not contain the complete funding declaration.
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignExperimental animal and/or laboratory research
ModelPregnant mice and human trophoblast cell line
SampleExperiment-specific biological replicates and model groups; see original methods
InterventionMouse drinking-water betaine 85 mmol/L; separate choline and cell conditions
DurationBefore and during pregnancy in a high-fat-diet model
EndpointsPlacental transport; Gestational hyperglycemia

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2018, this source examined preclinical aging, brain and metabolic mechanisms. Design: Experimental animal and/or laboratory research. Sample/model: Experiment-specific biological replicates and model groups; see original methods. The exposure or intervention was Mouse drinking-water betaine 85 mmol/L; separate choline and cell conditions. Follow-up or treatment period: Before and during pregnancy in a high-fat-diet model.

Betaine modified some placental morphology and glucose-transport measures under experimental hyperglycemia.

Experimental model evidence. The intervention, concentrations and outcomes do not establish an effective human supplement dose or a clinical treatment benefit.

Continue with TMG Data Center

Continue with TMG Supplement: Trimethylglycine Benefits, Uses and Evidence

Key findings

  • Betaine modified some placental morphology and glucose-transport measures under experimental hyperglycemia.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Placental transport; Gestational hyperglycemia.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Mouse drinking-water betaine 85 mmol/L; separate choline and cell conditions; Before and during pregnancy in a high-fat-diet model.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Experimental model evidence. The intervention, concentrations and outcomes do not establish an effective human supplement dose or a clinical treatment benefit.
  • Cell concentrations, species, disease models and experimental routes cannot be converted directly into an effective or safe oral human regimen.
  • Source basis: Accessible full-text extract plus indexed bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

Related papers in the corpus

Tier 4
Prospective associations of maternal betaine status with offspring weight and body composition at birth: the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort study
Linde van Lee et al. · The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2016
Tier 4
Association of Maternal and Cord Blood Choline and Betaine Concentrations with Birthweight: A Prospective Mother-Infant Cohort Study
Sumiya Aihemaitijiang et al. · Nutrients · 2026
Tier 4
Maternal Betaine and Methylation Potential during Pregnancy Are Associated with Child Growth at Birth and Early Childhood: Results of the Chilean Maternal & Infant Cohort Study-II
Isis Trujillo-González et al. · The Journal of nutrition · 2026
Tier 4
Early second trimester maternal plasma choline and betaine are related to measures of early cognitive development in term infants
Brian T F Wu et al. · PloS one · 2012
Tier 3
Systematic profiling reveals betaine as an exercise mimetic for geroprotection
Lingling Geng et al. · Cell · 2025
Tier 4
Betaine and aging: A narrative review of findings, possible mechanisms, research perspectives, and practical recommendations
Emilia Zawieja et al. · Ageing research reviews · 2025

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology