Amniotic fluid phospholipid profile as a predictor of fetal maturity in diabetic pregnancies.
The phospholipids in amniotic fluid from diabetic pregnancies were compared with those in normal pregnancies. There was little difference in the lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratios on the basis of the gestational ages. However, in diabetic pregnancies, phosphatidylglycerol (PG) was absent or low, and phosphatidylinositol (PI) remained high even if the L/S ratio was greater than 2. The phosphatidylglycerol/phosphatidylinositol (PG/PI) ratio was expressed as a function of the L/S ratio. The PG/PI ratio was significantly lower in maternal diabetes. Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) coincided with an L/S ratio of between 2.0 and 3.0 only when PG was absent. Infants of insulin-dependent diabetic mothers with a particularly low PG/PI ratio (less than 50% of the median) had higher relative birth weights and more often had hypoglycemia than those infants born to mothers with a high PG/PI ratio (greater than 200% of the median). The phospholipids of amniotic fluid correlate with fetal functional maturity and may reflect deviations of hormonal balance required for normal perinatal development.
D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000032:analysis*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D008168:Lung / Q000196:embryology; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000032:analysis; D010715:Phosphatidylglycerols / Q000032:analysis; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols / Q000032:analysis; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000032:analysis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000175:diagnosis; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000032:analysis
D001786:Blood Glucose; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010715:Phosphatidylglycerols; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols; D010743:Phospholipids; D013109:Sphingomyelins