Reactive oxygen species, diabetes and toxicity in the placenta - a workshop report.

The placenta, in addition to its myriad of functions during development, is recognized as a target for the toxic actions of chemicals. Presentations in this workshop summarized the state of the science with respect to drug metabolizing enzyme expression and activity as well as drug transporter protein expression. Chemical induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation was presented as a unifying mechanism potentially important in the development of teratogenesis, postnatal cancers, and diabetes.