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Tumour necrosis factor-alpha does not cross the rat placenta
N Carbó1, F J López-Soriano, J M Argilés
1Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
Cancer Letters
|July 4, 1998
Summary
Maternal tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) does not cross the placenta in pregnant rats. Fetal TNF is likely synthesized within fetal organs, not transferred from the mother.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive immunology
- Maternal-fetal medicine
- Cytokine signaling in pregnancy
Background:
- Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) plays a significant physiological role in pregnancy.
- Fetal TNF is implicated in crucial functions like cell growth, differentiation, and immune protection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether maternal tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) can reach the fetal circulation during pregnancy.
Main Methods:
- Administration of in vivo [125I]TNF to pregnant rats at term.
- Analysis of TNF presence and transfer across the placental barrier.
Main Results:
- Results demonstrated that TNF does not cross the placental barrier from the mother to the fetus.
- This indicates that TNF found in fetal organs is not maternally derived.
Conclusions:
- Maternal TNF does not transfer to the fetal circulation in rats.
- The cytokine present in the fetus is likely synthesized endogenously within fetal organs.