Abstract
The effect of decreased uterine blood supply on one aspect of pulmonary phospholipid metabolism, the developmental pattern of choline kinase (CK), was studied in rats from 17 through 21 days gestation. Spraque-Dawley rats were operated on at the 17th day of pregnancy by ligation of the uterine artery of one horn as described by Wigglesworth (J. Path. Bact. 88:1, 1964) with the opposite horn left untouched (control). On days 18, 19, 20 and 21, fetuses were delivered by C-section and immediately decapitated. The frequency of IUGR fetuses (weighing less than 80% of mean control horn fetuses) in the ligated horn was approximately 50%. The lung wet weight to body weight ratios in the IUGR fetuses were consistently lower than the control litter mates at days 18, 19 and 20. The specific activities of CK were approximately 20% higher in the IUGR fetal lungs on days 20 and 21. No significant differences in CK specific activities were found between sham operated and non-operated controls and lungs from fetuses in the control horns. We conclude that decreased blood supply to the pregnant rat uterus results in a slightly increased activity per mg protein in the lung of the first enzyme of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. This increase was not observed in livers from the same fetuses. IUGR fetuses have been reported to show increased amounts of pulmonary phosphatidylcholine and accelerated pulmonary development. Our findings suggest that alterations in CK activity may be involved in this phenomenon.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chrzanowska, B., Ulane, R., Stephenson, L. et al. 175 THE EFFECTS OF INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RETARDATION (IUGR ON FETAL LUNG CHOLINE KINASE ACTIVITY. Pediatr Res 12 (Suppl 4), 393 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-00180
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-00180