Essential fatty acids and their long-chain polyunsaturated metabolites in maternal and cord plasma triglycerides during late gestation

Berghaus, Thomas M.; Demmelmair, Hans and Koletzko, Berthold (2000): Essential fatty acids and their long-chain polyunsaturated metabolites in maternal and cord plasma triglycerides during late gestation. In: Biology of the Neonate, Vol. 77, No. 2: pp. 96-100

Abstract

The fatty acid composition of plasma lipids was determined in 41 pairs of mothers and their term infants at time of birth (38-42 postmenstrual weeks) by high-resolution capillary gas-liquid chromatography, Linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids were found at smaller concentrations in cord than in maternal triglycerides, in contrast to strikingly higher proportions of their long-chain polyunsaturated metabolites (IC-PUFA), which indicates a preferential maternofetal transport for certain physiologically important LC-PUFA. While no significant gestational age-dependent changes occurred in maternal plasma triglycerides, the values for most of the fetal long-chain n-3 metabolites increased with the duration of gestation, possibly reflecting an increased transplacental fatty acid passage during late pregnancy or a maturation of desaturation in the fetal liver, Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Form of publication: Publisher's Version
• Faculties: Medicine > Medical Center of the University of Munich > Pediatric Clinic and Outpatient Clinic in the Dr. von Hauner Children‘s Hospital
• Subjects: 600 Technology > 610 Medicine and health
• ISSN: 0006-3126
• Alliance/National Licence: This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.
• Language: English