Sustained hypoxemia in late gestation potentiates hepatic gluconeogenic gene expression but does not activate glucose production in the ovine fetus.

ABSTRACT: Fetal hypoxemia is associated with pregnancy conditions that cause an early activation of fetal glucose production. However, the independent role of hypoxemia to activate this pathway is not well understood. We hypothesized that fetal hypoxemia would activate fetal glucose production by decreasing umbilical glucose uptake and increasing counter-regulatory hormone concentrations. We induced hypoxemia for 9 days with maternal tracheal N₂ gas insufflation to reduce maternal and fetal arterial Po₂ by ~20% (HOX) compared with fetuses from ewes receiving intratracheal compressed air (CON). At 0.9 of gestation, fetal metabolic studies were performed (n = 7 CON, 11 HOX). Umbilical blood flow rates, net fetal oxygen and glucose uptake rates, and fetal arterial plasma gl

SUBMITTER: Jones AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6732654 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature