Partitioning of glutamine synthesised by the isolated perfused human placenta between the maternal and fetal circulations.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Placental glutamine synthesis has been demonstrated in animals and is thought to increase the availability of this metabolically important amino acid to the fetus. Glutamine is of fundamental importance for cellular replication, cellular function and inter-organ nitrogen transfer. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of glutamate/glutamine metabolism by the isolated perfused human placenta in the provision of glutamine to the fetus.

Methods

Glutamate metabolism was investigated in the isolated dually perfused human placental cotyledon. U-¹³C-glutamate was used to investigate the movement of carbon and ¹⁵N-leucine to study movement of amino-nitrogen. Labelled amino acids were perfused via maternal or fetal arteries at defined flow rates. The en

SUBMITTER: Day PE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3851744 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature