Abstract
Extract: clearance in plasma of pteroylglutamic acid (PGA) was determined in human adults and newborns. The doses of PGA given to adults were 7.5 and 15 μg/kg and those given to newborns were 15 and 30 μg/kg of body weight, respectively. Microbiological assays using Lactobacillus casei determined the total folate in serum as well as the amount of unchanged PGA following intrvenous administration of PGA. Excretion of folate was determined in adults and newborns receiving 40 μg PGA/kg intramuscularly.
clearance of folic acid in plasma was found to be much more rapid in newborns than in adults (figs. 1 and 2). Less folate was excreted in the urine by the newborns (table I) which indicated that rapid clearance of folic acid in plasma in the newborns was due to rapid tissue uptake of folate.
Speculation: The rapid tissue uptake of PGA in newborns indicates the markedly increased demand for folic acid in the neonatal period and during the period of early infancy, when there is a rapid rate of cell replication and growth. This finding explains the rapid fall of scrum [20] and blood folate levels [16] in the first few months of life when the increased demand for folte is not met by the dietary folate. Further studies are needed to determine folate stores in newborns, the dietary intake offolate by newborns, and the folate requirement of newborns and infants.
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Shojania, A., Hornady, G. Folate Metabolism in Newborns and during Early Infancy: II. Clearance of Folic Acid in Plasma and Excretion of Folic Acid in Urine by Newborns. Pediatr Res 4, 422–426 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197009000-00005
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197009000-00005
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