Abstract
The factors determining fatty acid transfer across the placenta are not fully understood. This study used a combined experimental and computational modeling approach to explore placental transfer of nonesterified fatty acids and identify the rate-determining processes. Isolated perfused human placenta was used to study the uptake and transfer of 13C-fatty acids and the release of endogenous fatty acids. Only 6.2 ± 0.8% of the maternal 13C-fatty acids taken up by the placenta was delivered to the fetal circulation. Of the unlabeled fatty acids released from endogenous lipid pools, 78 ± 5% was recovered in the maternal circulation and 22 ± 5% in the fetal circulation. Computational modeling indicated that fatty acid metabolism was necessary to explain the discrepancy between uptake and delivery of 13C-fatty acids. Without metabolism, the model overpredicts the fetal delivery of 13C-fatty acids 15-fold. Metabolic rate was predicted to be the main determinant of uptake from the maternal circulation. The microvillous membrane had a greater fatty acid transport capacity than the basal membrane. This study suggests that incorporation of fatty acids into placental lipid pools may modulate their transfer to the fetus. Future work needs to focus on the factors regulating fatty acid incorporation into lipid pools.
Highlights
The factors determining fatty acid transfer across the placenta are not fully understood
The placental 13C-fatty acid mass balance b was greater than zero, and it was estimated that on average 93.8 ± 0.8% of the 13C-fatty acid taken up from the maternal circulation was retained in the placenta; the remaining 6.2 ± 0.8% was delivered to the fetal circulation (Fig. 3B), with no statistical differences between fatty acids
The endogenous fatty acids mass balance b was greater than zero, demonstrating that a substantial net amount of fatty acid was released by the placenta into the circulations
Summary
The factors determining fatty acid transfer across the placenta are not fully understood. This study used a combined experimental and computational modeling approach to explore placental transfer of nonesterified fatty acids and identify the rate-determining processes. Of the unlabeled fatty acids released from endogenous lipid pools, 78 ± 5% was recovered in the maternal circulation and 22 ± 5% in the fetal circulation. This study suggests that incorporation of fatty acids into placental lipid pools may modulate their transfer to the fetus. The influence of placental metabolism on fatty acid transfer to the fetus. Placental fatty acid transfer was investigated using placental perfusion in combination with computational modeling. Fatty acids transfer across the human placenta and follow an overall concentration gradient, with concentrations higher in maternal plasma than in the fetal capillaries [6]
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