Maturation of glucocorticosteroid activity in the foetal guinea-pig during the end of gestation.
Cortisol levels were very high in maternal and foetal plasma during the last days of pregnancy. The percentage of free cortisol was maximal in plasmas of the mother and the foetus on the last day before parturition; the increase in free cortisol levels resulted from the saturation of transcortin binding capacity and from a higher adrenal secretion rate at that time due to stress at the onset of labor. On the last day of pregnancy the foetal adrenals could cover the hormonal needs of the foetus, the foetal-maternal transfer of cortisol being similar to the maternal-foetal transfer. However, the low TCM at cortisol indicated that cortisol catabolism was still immature. The origin of foetal transcortin is still unknown.
D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005325:Fetal Organ Maturity; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D006128:Growth; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014156:Transcortin / Q000032:analysis*
D014156:Transcortin; D006854:Hydrocortisone