[Placenta: a barrier for renotrophic factor?].
BACKGROUND
To evaluate if the renotrophic factor can pass through the placenta and act on the fetal kidney.


METHODS
Twenty pregnant rats were divided into 4 groups of 5 animals: 1-control; 2-sham operated animals; 3-right nephfrectomy; 4-right nephrectomy--left polar nephrectomy. All rats were operated on during the 14 or 15 day of pregnancy. Maternal weight, serum urea and creatinine, number of fetal rats, fetal body and renal weight; DNA, RNA, protein and the amount of water in fetal kidneys were evaluated.


RESULTS
Fetal kidneys showed a fall in weight in groups 3 and 4. In these groups tissue water concentration was lesser than groups 1 and 2. Fetal kidneys amounts of DNA, RNA and protein were similar in all groups.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggest that renotrophin could be a multifactorial system that can cross the placenta. The fall in renal fetal weight following maternal nephrectomy was consequent to a lesser tissue water content. Hypoplasia or hypotrophy did not play a role in this event. However, the fall in fetal kidney water was independent of the amount of maternal renal tissue that was removed.
Tucci Júnior
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Departamento de Cirurgia, Ortopedia e Traumatologia da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo.
Martins
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AC
D000818:Animals; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000502:physiology*; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D007668:Kidney / Q000196:embryology*; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000502:physiology*; D009392:Nephrectomy; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D006133:Growth Substances; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C010320:renotropins
Placenta: uma barreira ao fator renotrófico?