Abstract
Studies of hormonal transfer have shown that the human placenta is impervious to 2 labeled polyopeptide hormones-insulin and human growth hormone; but the transfer of glucagon, a polypeptide hormone of lower molecular weight, has not been evaluated previously in pregnant human subjects. Although its placental tranfer has been demonstrated in other species, the results are confusing because of the non-specific methodology used. In order to determine whether the human placenta permits maternofetal transfer of glucagon, nine pregnant women at 15 to 17 wks of gestation were evaluated during legal therapeutic abortions by abdominal hysterotomy. The plasma concentration of glucagon-I-125 was maintained until delivery of the fetus by continuous intravenous infusion of the labeled hormone at the following rates: 20 μc/hr for 3–4 hrs in 4 women; and 60 μc/hr for 1 to 1.5 hrs in the other 5. The plasma concentration of the labeled glucagon was measured by a specific immunoprecipitation. Even with maternal plasma concentrations of radioactive glucagon between 599 adn 1289 cpm/ml, no glucagon-I-125 was detected either in the umbilical venous or arterial plasma, or in the amniotic fluid. Early in gestation, therefore, the human placenta is an effective barrier to the rapid maternofetal transfer of glucagon-I-125. Based on this concept, regulation of the fetal plasma glucagon levels would depend on its secretion by the fetal rather than the maternal pancreas.
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Adam, P., King, K., Schwartz, R. et al. Human placental barrier to glucagon-I-125 early in gestation. Pediatr Res 5, 417 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197108000-00191
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197108000-00191