Placental transfer of dexamethasone in near-term sheep.
The placental transfer of 3H-dexamethasone was studied in six near-term sheep. The placental clearance of 3H-dexamethasone was 18.8 +/- 3.5 ml/min per kg of fetal weight. The clearance of dexamethasone by the fetal tissues was 9.3 +/- w.5 ml/min per kg. The maximum placental clearance was 285 +/- 24 ml/min and the degree of diffusion limitation to the placental transfer of dexamethasone was 78 +/- 4%. The placental transfer of dexamethasone is therefore limited primarily by the nature of the placental barrier.
D000818:Animals; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011485:Protein Binding; D012756:Sheep / Q000502:physiology*
D003907:Dexamethasone