Metabolism of 14C-pregnenolone in the placenta throughout pregnancy in organ culture.

Fetal gender prediction based on placental location throughout first trimester transabdominal ultrasound

Background: Awareness of fetal gender at primary stages of pregnancy is very important. Fetal sex determination can reveal pressing information regarding fetal health. One of the methods of determining gender in the first trimester is according to the location of placenta. . This study investigated the accuracy and sensitivity of this method with trans-abdominal ultrasound in determining the se...

Biotransformation of pregnenolone - 7alpha-3H, progesterone - 7alpha-3H and dehydroepiandrosterone - 7alpha-3H by porcine fetal and maternal adrenal homogenate preparations.

The biotransformation of pregnenolone-7alpha-3H and of progesterone-7alpha-3H by porcine fetal and maternal adrenal homogenates at 56 and 112 days of pregnancy and of dehydroepiandrosterone-7alpha-3H by fetal adrenal homogenates has been investigated in vitro. Both pregnenolone-7alpha-3H and progesterone-7alpha-3H were metabolized extensively by maternal adrenal preparations, the principal radi...

Characterization of an organic anion-transporting polypeptide (OATP-B) in human placenta.

Organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs) are a family of multispecific carriers that mediate the sodium-independent transport of steroid hormone and conjugates, drugs, and numerous anionic endogenous substrates. We investigated whether members of the OATP gene family could mediate fetal-maternal transfer of anionic steroid conjugates in the human placenta. OATP-B (gene symbol SLC21A9) wa...

In vivo steroid biogenesis and metabolism in the human term placenta. I. In situ placental perfusion with isotopic pregnenolone.

Glucose inhibits human placental GH secretion, in vitro.

Human placenta specifically expresses the GH-V gene leading to the production of placental Growth Hormone (PGH). During pregnancy, PGH levels increase progressively in maternal blood, but its regulation remains unknown. In this study the effect of glucose on PGH secretion by human term placenta was tested, in vitro, by means of two different experimental models: organ culture of villous tissue ...