Polyamine oxidase activity in amniotic fluid and fetal membranes

Polyamine oxidase activity, already shown to be present in maternal serum, was measured in amniotic fluid between 15 and 40 weeks of gestation in 38 samples. The enzyme activity increased as pregnancy progressed, the levels being lower than those found in the maternal serum. Homogenates of chorion, amnion, separately and together, also showed the presence of enzyme activity, the levels being lower than those previously found in the decidua, but substantially higher than those found in the placenta. Ii is suggested that the enzyme found in amniotic fluid might be the consequence of a diffusion from the decidua through the membranes.