TY - JOUR
T1 - Intrauterine transfer of polyunsaturated fatty acids in mother–infant dyads as analyzed at time of delivery
AU - Woodard, Vanessa
AU - Thoene, Melissa
AU - Van Ormer, Matthew
AU - Thompson, Maranda
AU - Hanson, Corrine
AU - Natarajan, Sathish Kumar
AU - Mukherjee, Maheswari
AU - Yuil‐valdes, Ana
AU - Nordgren, Tara M.
AU - Ulu, Arzu
AU - Jackson, Kristina Harris
AU - Anderson‐berry, Ann
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential for fetal development, and intrauterine transfer is the only supply of PUFAs to the fetus. The prevailing theory of gestational nutrient transfer is that certain nutrients (including PUFAs) may have prioritized transport across the placenta. Numerous studies have identified correlations between maternal and infant fatty acid concentrations; however, little is known about what role maternal PUFA status may play in differential intrauterine nutrient transfer. Twenty mother–infant dyads were enrolled at delivery for collection of maternal and umbilical cord blood, and placental tissue samples. Plasma concentrations of PUFAs were assessed using gas chromatography (GC‐FID). Intrauterine transfer percentages for each fatty acid were calculated as follows: ((cord blood fatty acid level/maternal blood fatty acid level) x 100). Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to compare transfer percentages between maternal fatty acid tertile groups. A p‐value < 0.05 was considered significant. There were statistically significant differences in intrauterine transfer percentages of arachidonic acid (AA) (64% vs. 65% vs. 45%, p = 0.02), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (41% vs. 19% vs. 17%, p = 0.03), and total fatty acids (TFA) (27% vs. 26% vs. 20%, p = 0.05) between maternal plasma fatty acid tertiles. Intrauterine transfer percentages of AA, EPA, and TFA were highest in the lowest tertile of respective maternal fatty acid concentration. These findings may indicate that fatty acid transfer to the fetus is prioritized during gestation even during periods of maternal nutritional inadequacy.
AB - Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential for fetal development, and intrauterine transfer is the only supply of PUFAs to the fetus. The prevailing theory of gestational nutrient transfer is that certain nutrients (including PUFAs) may have prioritized transport across the placenta. Numerous studies have identified correlations between maternal and infant fatty acid concentrations; however, little is known about what role maternal PUFA status may play in differential intrauterine nutrient transfer. Twenty mother–infant dyads were enrolled at delivery for collection of maternal and umbilical cord blood, and placental tissue samples. Plasma concentrations of PUFAs were assessed using gas chromatography (GC‐FID). Intrauterine transfer percentages for each fatty acid were calculated as follows: ((cord blood fatty acid level/maternal blood fatty acid level) x 100). Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to compare transfer percentages between maternal fatty acid tertile groups. A p‐value < 0.05 was considered significant. There were statistically significant differences in intrauterine transfer percentages of arachidonic acid (AA) (64% vs. 65% vs. 45%, p = 0.02), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (41% vs. 19% vs. 17%, p = 0.03), and total fatty acids (TFA) (27% vs. 26% vs. 20%, p = 0.05) between maternal plasma fatty acid tertiles. Intrauterine transfer percentages of AA, EPA, and TFA were highest in the lowest tertile of respective maternal fatty acid concentration. These findings may indicate that fatty acid transfer to the fetus is prioritized during gestation even during periods of maternal nutritional inadequacy.
KW - Intrauterine transfer
KW - Maternal‐fetal health
KW - Omega‐3 fatty acids
KW - PUFA
KW - Placenta
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U2 - 10.3390/nu13030996
DO - 10.3390/nu13030996
M3 - Article
C2 - 33808763
AN - SCOPUS:85102677087
SN - 2072-6643
VL - 13
SP - 1
EP - 11
JO - Nutrients
JF - Nutrients
IS - 3
M1 - 996
ER -