Evidence for Fatty Acid Transfer Across the Human Placenta

Hull, D; Elphick, Martin

doi:10.1002/9780470720462.ch5

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…In studies of pregnancy in species with highly invasive (haemochorial) placentation – including some primates (Portman et al. , 1969; Hull & Elphick, 1978; Hendrickse et al. , 1985; Haggarty et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to studies of fetal protein and carbohydrate nutrition during pregnancy, studies of fatty acids demonstrate a pronounced distinction between species with highly invasive haemochorial vs. less invasive placentation. In studies of pregnancy in species with highly invasive (haemochorial) placentation -including some primates (Portman et al, 1969;Hull & Elphick, 1978;Hendrickse et al, 1985;Haggarty et al, 1997), rodents (Koren & Shafrir, 1964;Hershfield & Nemeth, 1968;Hummel et al, 1975;Thomas & Lowy, 1982, 1983Honda et al, 1990) and lagomorphs (Edson et al, 1975;Elphick et al, 1975;Elphick & Hull, 1977a,b;Gilbert et al, 1984;Stephenson et al, 1990) -maternal fatty acids are found to be readily and rapidly transferred to the fetus. Under normal nutritional conditions, the rate of placental transport is responsive to changes in maternal serum lipid concentration, such that fetal fatty acid uptake rate is correlated with maternal serum fatty acid availability (Edson et al, 1975;Elphick & Hull, 1977b;Thomas & Lowy, 1983;Stephenson et al, 1990).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Placental invasiveness and brain–body allometry in eutherian mammals

Elliot

Crespi

2008

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Brain growth is a key trait in the evolution of mammalian life history. Brain development should be mediated by placentation, which determines patterns of resource transfer from mothers to fetal offspring. Eutherian placentation varies in the extent to which a maternal barrier separates fetal tissues from maternal blood. We demonstrate here that more invasive forms of placentation are associated with substantially steeper brain–body allometry, faster prenatal brain growth and slower prenatal body growth. On the basis of the physiological literature we suggest a simple mechanism for these differences: in species with invasive placentation, where the placenta is bathed directly in maternal blood, fatty acids essential for brain development can be readily extracted by the fetus, but in species with less invasive placentation they must be synthesized by the fetus. Hence, with regard to brain–body allometry and prenatal growth patterns, eutherian mammals are structured into distinct groups differing in placental invasiveness.

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