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Fetomaternal relationships of serum bile acids in uncomplicated pregnancy
Simultaneous umbilical cord arterial, cord venous, and maternal peripheral venous blood samples were collected in labour in twenty-five uncomplicated human pregnancies at term, and the concentrations of serum bile acids were determined by a gas chromatographic method. Cholic acid (C) predominated in the maternal and chenodeoxycholic acid (CD) in the fetal serum samples; the mean ratios of C to CD were 1.50 and 0.92, respectively. Mean concentrations of C and CD were significantly higher in the cord venous (1.27 and 1.55 mumol/l, respectively) than in the maternal venous (0.81 and 0.63 mumol/l, respectively) serum samples. Paired cord arteriovenous comparisons showed that concentrations of C and CD were slightly higher in the cord arterial as compared with the cord venous serum. These results indicate that the placenta is capable to maintain a considerable concentration difference of bile salt between the fetal and maternal compartment. It seems on the basis of cord arteriovenous differences that C and CD are to some extent eliminated from the fetal to the maternal compartment by transplacental passage.
Simultaneous umbilical cord arterial, cord venous, and maternal peripheral venous blood samples were collected in labour in twenty-five uncomplicated human pregnancies at term, and the concentrations of serum bile acids were determined by a gas chromatographic method. Cholic acid (C) predominated in the maternal and chenodeoxycholic acid (CD) in the fetal serum samples; the mean ratios of C to CD were 1.50 and 0.92, respectively. Mean concentrations of C and CD were significantly higher in the cord venous (1.27 and 1.55 mumol/l, respectively) than in the maternal venous (0.81 and 0.63 mumol/l, respectively) serum samples. Paired cord arteriovenous comparisons showed that concentrations of C and CD were slightly higher in the cord arterial as compared with the cord venous serum. These results indicate that the placenta is capable to maintain a considerable concentration difference of bile salt between the fetal and maternal compartment. It seems on the basis of cord arteriovenous differences that C and CD are to some extent eliminated from the fetal to the maternal compartment by transplacental passage.