Prolonged maternal amino acid infusion in late-gestation pregnant sheep increases fetal amino acid oxidation.

ABSTRACT: Protein supplementation during human pregnancy does not improve fetal growth and may increase small-for-gestational-age birth rates and mortality. To define possible mechanisms, sheep with twin pregnancies were infused with amino acids (AA group, n = 7) or saline (C group, n = 4) for 4 days during late gestation. In the AA group, fetal plasma leucine, isoleucine, valine, and lysine concentrations were increased (P < 0.05), and threonine was decreased (P < 0.05). In the AA group, fetal arterial pH (7.365 +/- 0.007 day 0 vs. 7.336 +/- 0.012 day 4, P < 0.005), hemoglobin-oxygen saturation (46.2 +/- 2.6 vs. 37.8 +/- 3.6%, P < 0.005), and total oxygen content (3.17 +/- 0.17 vs. 2.49 +/- 0.20 mmol/l, P < 0.0001) were decreased on day 4 compared with day 0. Fetal leucine disposal did not change (

SUBMITTER: Rozance PJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2739698 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature