title: Oxytocin-induced parturition in copper-deficient guinea pigs.
abstract: Dietary copper-deficient guinea pig dams (0.8 microgram Cu/g diet) were administered oxytocin to induce delivery of pups, whereas dietary copper-sufficient guinea pig dams (5.8 micrograms Cu/g diet) had uneventful deliveries with 79% surviving pups. The copper-deficient dams carried the fully-formed fetuses to term but did not go into labor unless 0.5 to 6.2 U oxytocin was administered (i.m.). Birth of live pups from copper-deficient dams increased from 28% overall, to 50% if oxytocin was administered in a timely manner. Many pups died of internal hemorrhages probably the result of defective connective tissue crosslinks requiring copper as a co-factor for lysyl oxidase activity. Dietary copper deficiency may be a factor in depressed parturition in the copper-deficient guinea pig dam that responds to administration of exogenous oxytocin for delivery of pups.
authors.affiliation: Pacific Northwest Research Foundation, Seattle, WA 98122-4327.
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Richmond
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003300:Copper / Q000172:deficiency*; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D007751:Labor, Induced; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000502:physiology*; D010121:Oxytocin; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin; D003300:Copper