Abstract
Extract: Serial changes in hemoglobin, hematocrit, erythrocyte (RBC) 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG), and whole blood oxygen affinity were studied in piglets. In the newborn piglet, the P50 averaged 19.0 mm Hg at birth and the erythrocyte 2,3-DPG was 1,670 mμmol/ml RBC's. Within 48 hr of birth, these values had increased to 27.4 mm Hg and 6,600 mμmol/ml RBC's, respectively. Normal adult values were reached by 1 month of age. The P50 bore a direct relationship to the erythrocyte 2,3-DPG concentration.
Speculation: The mechanism triggering the rapid rise in erythrocyte 2,3-DPG and the abrupt increase in P50 in the newborn piglet remains unexplained. The rise in 2,3-DPG may be a result of alterations in plasma pH, a sudden rise in plasma inorganic phosphate, or the presence of a metabolizable substrate such as dihydroxyacetone that was not present in the fetal environment. It remains to be determined whether the 2,3-DPG effect on P50 is a result of direct interaction with hemoglobin or a consequence of alterations in intracellular pH.
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Delivoria-Papadopoulos, M., Martens, R., Forster, R. et al. Postnatal Changes in Oxygen-Hemoglobin Affinity and Erythrocyte 2,3-Diphosphoglycerate in Piglets. Pediatr Res 8, 64–66 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197401000-00011
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197401000-00011