Comparative analysis of normal and growth-retarded placentas with phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
OBJECTIVE
Phosphorus 31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies were carried out on placentas from normal vaginal and elective cesarean deliveries without antenatal complications and from pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth retardation of unknown cause to determine differences.


METHODS
Perchloric acid extraction was performed on frozen tissue, and quantitative analysis was carried out for well-resolved resonances representing adenosine triphosphate, sugar phosphate, inorganic phosphorus, diphosphoglycerate, glycerophosphorylethanolamine, and glycerophosphorylcholine.


RESULTS
Adenosine triphosphate levels were highest in the growth-retarded group. There were significantly higher levels of sugar phosphate, diphosphoglycerate, and glycerophosphorylcholine in the placentas of the growth-retarded pregnancies compared with those from normal placentas.


CONCLUSIONS
These differences may represent a response to hypoxia and an increase in the amount of blood in the placenta. The results demonstrate the utility of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for studying the pathology of abnormal placentas to gain a better understanding of the pathology and represent early steps toward in vivo spectroscopic studies of the placenta.
Kay
H H
HH
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
Hawkins
S R
SR
Gordon
J D
JD
Wang
Y
Y
Ribeiro
A A
AA
Spicer
L D
LD
D002585:Cesarean Section; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values
D010758:Phosphorus