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Polyol accumulation in human placenta and umbilical cord.
Biological Research in Pregnancy and Perinatology
|January 1, 1987
Summary
Human placenta and umbilical cord tissues accumulate glycolytic intermediates like lactate and polyols. The umbilical cord specifically absorbs more myoinositol, indicating its metabolic importance.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Human Physiology
- Metabolomics
Background:
- Human term placenta and umbilical cord are vital for fetal development.
- Understanding their metabolic pathways is crucial for assessing fetal health.
- These tissues operate in a unique, reduced redox environment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze ultrafiltrable metabolites in human term placenta and umbilical cord.
- To identify major accumulated intermediates of glycolytic pathways in these tissues.
- To investigate differential metabolite uptake between placenta and cord.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 13C-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
- Employed gas-liquid chromatography for metabolite analysis.
- Analyzed metabolites in human term placenta and umbilical cord tissues.
Main Results:
- Lactate and polyols (sorbitol, myoinositol, xylitol) identified as major glycolytic intermediates.
- These metabolites accumulate in the reduced redox state characteristic of the tissues.
- Umbilical cord tissue demonstrated a preferential uptake of myoinositol.
Conclusions:
- Lactate and polyols are key metabolic intermediates in term placenta and umbilical cord.
- The observed accumulation reflects the tissues' reduced redox state.
- Myoinositol plays a significant role in umbilical cord metabolism, evidenced by preferential uptake.