Fetal-maternal nitrite exchange in sheep: Experimental data, a computational model and an estimate of placental nitrite permeability.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Nitrite conveys NO-bioactivity that may contribute to the high-flow, low-resistance character of the fetal circulation. Fetal blood nitrite concentrations depend partly on placental permeability which has not been determined experimentally. We aimed to extract the placental permeability-surface (PS) product for nitrite in sheep from a computational model.

Methods

An eight-compartment computational model of the fetal-maternal unit was constructed (Matlab(®) (R2013b (8.2.0.701), MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA). Taking into account fetal and maternal body weights, four variables (PS, the rate of nitrite metabolism within red cells, and two nitrite distribution volumes, one with and one without nitrite metabolism), were varied to obtain optimal fits to the experimental

SUBMITTER: Schroeder HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4768312 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature