Many factors affect the rate of fetal growth and development in addition to overall fetal well-being. In eutherian mammals, the placenta serves as the primary mediator and modulator of those factors that ultimately determine development rate. The placenta accomplishes this task in the following ways: (a) by serving as the site of nutrient and waste transfer between the mother and fetus; (b) by ...

lipoxygenase(lox) catalyzes irreversible transfer of oxygen molecule to arachidonic and linoleic acid to produce 13 hydroproxy octadecadienoic acid. recent studies showed the involvement of lipoxygenase products, leukotrienes, in inflammations and lipoxygenase pathways acts as mediators of early inflammatory events in atherosclerosis. the aim of the present study was purification and characteri...

BACKGROUND The number of children conceived using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has reached >5 million worldwide and continues to increase. Although the great majority of ART children are healthy, many reports suggest a forthcoming risk of metabolic complications, which is further supported by the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis of suboptimal embryo/fetal condi...

Immunoglobulins were eluted from ovine placentae and characterized by immunoprecipitation, electrophoresis, western blotting and ELISA. IgG was shown to comprise the bulk of placental-bound immunoglobulins while smaller amounts of IgM and only trace amounts of IgA were demonstrated. Results suggest that ovine placental IgG eluted by surgical cannulation of the uterine blood vessels in situ is s...

BACKGROUND Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been widely used as flame retardants in consumer products. PBDEs may affect thyroid hormone homeostasis, which can result in irreversible damage of cognitive performance, motor skills and altered behaviour. Thus, in utero exposure is of very high concern due to critical windows in fetal development. METHODS A human ex vivo placenta perfus...

OBJECTIVE To determine placental transfer of ketanserin and to assess the effect of serotonin-2 receptor blockade by ketanserin on serotonin- and phenylephrine-induced vasoconstriction. STUDY DESIGN Five chronically instrumented pregnant ewes at 120 days gestation were injected with 20 mg ketanserin i.v., and fetal and maternal arterial samples were obtained at predetermined intervals to asse...

Placental transfer of maternal IgG antibodies to the fetus is an important mechanism that provides protection to the infant while his/her humoral response is inefficient. IgG is the only antibody class that significantly crosses the human placenta. This crossing is mediated by FcRn expressed on syncytiotrophoblast cells. There is evidence that IgG transfer depends on the following: (i) maternal...

Few mammalian organs vary as dramatically among species as the placenta. This variation is remarkable considering that the placenta's primary function--transfer of nutrients and waste between mother and offspring--does not differ among species. Evolutionary changes in placental morphology remain poorly understood, with suggestions that parent-offspring conflict or evolutionary changes in life h...

Delivery of an optimally grown, viable infant defines a successful pregnancy. Optimal growth is achieved by the interaction of maternal, placental, and fetal systems to deliver maternal nutrients to the placenta, transfer them to the fetus, and maximize their utilization for fetal growth. Pregnancy is characterized by profound changes in thematernal immune,metabolic, cardiovascular, and renal s...