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Updated: Aug 2, 2026

Determination of the Transport Rate of Xenobiotics and Nanomaterials Across the Placenta using the ex vivo Human Placental Perfusion Model
Published on: June 18, 2013
Hypoxanthine transport in the guinea pig and human placenta is a carrier-mediated process that does not involve
1Departamento de Fisiología y Biofísica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to characterize the mechanisms involved in the placental clearance of hypoxanthine.
Study Design:
Uptake of isotope-labeled compounds was measured in the in situ perfused guinea pig placenta and in membrane vesicles isolated from the human syncytiotrophoblast.
Results:
In the guinea pig hypoxanthine uptake (from the fetal circulation) proceeded by a saturable (Michaelis constant approximately 90 mumol/L), sodium-dependent mechanism that was inhibited by 19 mmol/L papaverine but not by 10 mumol/L nitrobenzylthioinosine or 10 mmol/L uridine. Uridine uptake was blocked by nitrobenzylthioinosine but not by papaverine or 4 mmol/L hypoxanthine. In human brush-border (maternal-facing) membrane vesicles hypoxanthine influx was sodium independent and best fitted to a saturable (Michaelis constant 290 +/- 45 mumol/L) plus a linear component. Saturable influx was blocked by papaverine but not by nitrobenzylthioinosine. Uridine uptake was not affected by 4 mmol/L hypoxanthine. Mediated hypoxanthine uptake by human basal (fetal-facing) membrane vesicles was not detected.
Conclusion:
At both placental blood-tissue interfaces hypoxanthine transport occurs through specific mechanisms that are different from the nucleoside transporters.
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