Antenatal Steroids and the IUGR Fetus: Are Exposure and Physiological Effects on the Lung and Cardiovascular System the Same as in Normally Grown Fetuses?

Figure 3

Diagrammatic representation of the mechanism by which endogenous (circulating or locally produced) cortisol and antenatal glucocorticoids act in the lung to increase the gene and protein expression of surfactant protein. GC: glucocorticoid; GR: GC, receptor; TTF-1: thyroid transcription factor-1; TBE: TTF-1 binding element; 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 indicate cofactors for different SP genes.