P.8.004 Effects of hyperhomocysteinemia on the system of haemostasis under stress

Abstract

Various dgrees of folate deficiency were produced inrats during gestation and lactation to evaluate maternal folate status effects during both the fetal and neonatal periods. Female rats were fed folate-deficient diets with 1% succinylsulfathiazole for 0, 5 and 9 wk before breeding and until 2 wk postpartum; others were fed a control diet. The most severely deficient group had significantly lower wt gain during gestation, with fetal resorption and no live pups being born. The moderately deficient group, with reduced plasma and red blood cell (RBC) folate concentrations prior to breeding, had impaired gestational wt gain, and, at gestational d 21, their rat fetuses weighed less than controls and had lower folate levels in blood, liver and placenta. The low birthweight pups in this group, at d 14 of age, had poor folate status with depressed brain DNA concentrations. The marginally deficient group produced normal birthweight pups, but growth was impaired at d 14, associated with poor folate status. Milk folate was significantly lower and urinary formiminoglutamic acid (FIGLU) was elevated in folatedeficient dams. These experimental results produced statistically significant correlation coefficients between folate status in rat dams and growth, hematology and folate stauus in their pups, even when folate status was marginal.