Abstract
In rats, at day 20 of pregnancy, the placenta and the fetal intestine contain calcium-binding proteins (CaBPs) which closely resemble the vitamin D-dependent CaBP of the adult rat duodenal mucosa. A significant and specific increase of the dam intestinal CaBP likely synthesized as a result of pregnancy, is observed. A 5 week-vitamin D-depletion promoted a decrease of the CaBP content of the dam intestine and of its calcemia. No changes were detected in the non-pregnant animals. Likewise, neither fetal calcemia nor CaBP contents of the feto-placental unit were affected. Such findings suggest i) that pregnancy elicits the vitamin D-sensitivity of rats and ii) that a slight vitamin D-deficiency acts only on the maternal compartment. Although the vitamin D-dependence of placental and fetal CaBPs remains to be demonstrated, our results suggest that these proteins act in concert with the maternal CaBP, to favour a mother to fetus transfer of calcium in order to satisfy the needs of the mineralizing fetal skeleton.
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