title: Nutrient levels in amniotic fluid from women with normal and neural tube defect pregnancies.
abstract: We analyzed nutrient levels in amniotic fluid obtained during the second trimester of normal, uncomplicated pregnancies from 221 women who delivered apparently healthy infants and from 8 with neural tube defect (NTD) pregnancies. Folate was measured by microbiological assay, vitamin B12 by a radiobinding method, and zinc, copper and iron by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. We found that the mean amniotic fluid nutrient levels of normal pregnancies were 24.7 nmol/l for folate, 600 pmol/l for vitamin B12, and 1.7, 1.9, and 9.0 mumol/l for zinc, copper and iron, respectively. Amniotic fluid folate, zinc, copper and iron levels of NTD pregnancies were similar to those found during normal pregnancy, however, vitamin B12 levels were markedly lower than those of normal pregnancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Weekes
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: R O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Birch
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Vaughn
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barganier
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cosper
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Finley
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Finley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D008903:Minerals / Q000378:metabolism*; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000378:metabolism; D014815:Vitamins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals; D014815:Vitamins; D003300:Copper; D005492:Folic Acid; D007501:Iron; D015032:Zinc; D014805:Vitamin B 12