Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-4rdrl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-17T00:38:12.889Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Studies on the transfer of calcium across the ovine placenta and incorporation into the foetal skeleton

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2010

G. D. Braithwaite
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading RG2 9AT
R. F. Glascock
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading RG2 9AT
Sh. Riazuddin
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading RG2 9AT
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

1. Radioactive calcium has been used to study the placental transfer of Ca in ewes at three stages of gestation.

2. At each stage virtually all the radioactive Ca injected into a foetus was still present 5–6 h later and little or none was found in the mother or in a twin foetus if present.

3. It was concluded that there is neither exchange of Ca between foetal and maternal pools nor transfer from foetus to mother. Passage of Ca across the placenta of the ewe is therefore a one-way process.

4. The rapidly exchangeable Ca pool of the foetus tended to increase in size with the stage of gestation and was found to contain only about half of the total Ca of the foetal soft tissues.

5. Two methods for calculating the rate of accretion of Ca into the foetal skeleton have been applied. The results obtained from these calculations suggested that rates of foetal bone accretion also increased with the stage of gestation. Accretion per unit foetal weight, however, remained fairly constant irrespective of age or number of foetuses present.

6. Bone accretion rates calculated from the results of the present work were very similar to the rates obtained previously for transfer of Ca across the sheep placenta, indicating that resorption of Ca from bone is negligible in the foetus.

Type
General Nutrition
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1972

References

Aubert, J.-P. & Milhaud, G. (1960). Biochim. biophys. Acta 39, 122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bawden, J. W., Wolkoff, A. S. & Flowers, C. E. (1965). Obstet. Gynec. 25, 548.Google Scholar
Braithwaite, G. D., Glascock, R. F. & Riazuddin, S.H. (1969). Br. J. Nutr. 23, 827.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braithwaite, G. D., Glascock, R. F. & Riazuddin, S.H.(1970). Br. J. Nutr. 24, 661.Google Scholar
Braithwaite, G. D. & Riazuddin, S.H.. (1971). Br. J. Nutr. 26, 215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Comar, C. L. (1956). Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 64, 281.Google Scholar
MacDonald, N. S., Hutchinson, D. L., Hepler, M. & Flynn, E. (1965). Proc. Soc. exp. Bid. Med. 119, 476.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Needham, J. (1931). Chemical Embryology. London: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Symonds, H. W., Manston, R., Payne, J. M. & Sansom, B. F. (1966). Br. vet. J. 122, 196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wasserman, R. H., Comar, C. L., Nold, M. M. & Lengemann, F. W. (1957). Am. J. Physiol. 189, 91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willis, J. B. (1960). Spectrochim. Acta 16, 259.Google Scholar
Willis, J. B. (1961). Analyt. Chem. 33, 556.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, V. R., Luick, J. R. & Lofgreen, G. P. (1966). Br. J. Nutr. 20, 727.CrossRefGoogle Scholar