TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysis of the potential for transfer of lipoprotein-cholesterol across the human placenta
AU - Parker, C. R.
AU - Deahl, T.
AU - Drewry, P.
AU - Hankins, G.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Kristine Drake for expert editorial supported by NIH grant HD14513.
PY - 1983/10
Y1 - 1983/10
N2 - We sought to determine whether evidence exists for the contribution of maternal plasma cholesterol to the fetal plasma cholesterol pool. We found maternal lipoprotein-cholesterol levels at the time of delivery to be significantly higher than those in mixed umbilical cord plasma. The maternal plasma levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol were not correlated to fetal plasma levels of these lipoproteins. There was a weak, but statistically significant, positive correlation between maternal and fetal plasma levels of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-cholesterol. Also, we found a highly significant difference between the levels of HDL-, LDL-, and total cholesterol in umbilical venous and umbilical arterial plasma; venous levels being 7.7-12.8% higher than those in arterial plasma. These data are suggestive that cholesterol derived from maternal plasma can be delivered across the placenta to the fetal compartment in normal pregnancies at term. The contribution of such cholesterol to the fetal plasma cholesterol pool, however, appears to be of minimal quantitative importance in term newborns of women experiencing uncomplicated pregnancies.
AB - We sought to determine whether evidence exists for the contribution of maternal plasma cholesterol to the fetal plasma cholesterol pool. We found maternal lipoprotein-cholesterol levels at the time of delivery to be significantly higher than those in mixed umbilical cord plasma. The maternal plasma levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol were not correlated to fetal plasma levels of these lipoproteins. There was a weak, but statistically significant, positive correlation between maternal and fetal plasma levels of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-cholesterol. Also, we found a highly significant difference between the levels of HDL-, LDL-, and total cholesterol in umbilical venous and umbilical arterial plasma; venous levels being 7.7-12.8% higher than those in arterial plasma. These data are suggestive that cholesterol derived from maternal plasma can be delivered across the placenta to the fetal compartment in normal pregnancies at term. The contribution of such cholesterol to the fetal plasma cholesterol pool, however, appears to be of minimal quantitative importance in term newborns of women experiencing uncomplicated pregnancies.
KW - human placenta
KW - lipoprotein-cholesterol transport
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U2 - 10.1016/0378-3782(83)90011-7
DO - 10.1016/0378-3782(83)90011-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 6641572
AN - SCOPUS:0021030577
SN - 0378-3782
VL - 8
SP - 289
EP - 295
JO - Early Human Development
JF - Early Human Development
IS - 3-4
ER -