title: Glutamine-glutamate exchange between placenta and fetal liver.
abstract: The hypothesis that glutamine shuttles nitrogen between placenta and fetal liver via interconversion with glutamate was explored by infusing L-[1,2-13C2]glutamine in six fetal sheep chronically catheterized for sampling of the umbilical and hepatic circulations. Fetal plasma glutamine disposal rate was 19.9 +/- 1.3 mumol.min-1.kg fetus-1. Entry of glutamine from the placenta accounted for approximately 60% of the total glutamine entry rate in fetal plasma. Glutamine was taken up by fetal liver, and 45.3 +/- 7.9% of the glutamine taken up was released as glutamate. The fetal liver released large quantities of glutamate, as evidenced by a sixfold increase in plasma glutamate concentration in the blood flowing through the left hepatic lobe and a hepatic glutamate output-to-O2 uptake molar ratio of 0.149 +/- 0.013. In conjunction with a previous study of fetal glutamate metabolism, these data demonstrate that glutamine entering the fetal circulation is converted to glutamate by the fetal liver at a rate of approximately 3-4 mumol.min-1.kg fetus-1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver 80262, USA.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Vaughn
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lobo
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Battaglia
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Fennessey
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Wilkening
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meschia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012756:Sheep / Q000196:embryology
chemical_list: D005973:Glutamine; D018698:Glutamic Acid