Cortisol promotes placental glucose and amino acids transport by activating the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling pathway

Lay Summary Low birth weight (LBW) has always been an important problem in animal husbandry, contributing to high mortality and morbidity rates in the neonatal period. Placental and fetal development are regulated by hormones, and studies have shown that cortisol has the ability to regulate nutrients transport during placental development, but the specific mechanism is not clear. In this study, reduced placental transport capacity resulted in lowered serum levels of cortisol, glucose and amino acids in LBW piglets, thereby restricting fetal growth and development. Furthermore, serum cortisol levels of piglets were positively correlated with birth weight of piglets. In addition, cortisol could promote placental glucose and amino acids transport via mTORC1 signaling pathway. These results might have significant theoretical implications for regulating the growth and development of piglets and improving reproductive performance of sows.