Phosphorus 31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy of perifused human placental villi under varying oxygen concentrations.
OBJECTIVE
Initial phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy observations on the oxygen metabolism of placental villi from normal term pregnancies are described.


METHODS
Villi were suspended in medium and perifused within a custom-designed 30 mm nuclear magnetic resonance probe in a superconducting vertical nuclear magnetic resonance magnet where pH, temperature, and oxygenation were monitored.


RESULTS
Phosphorus resonances were observed from adenosine triphosphate, phosphomonoesters. inorganic phosphate, and phosphodiesters. No phosphocreatine signal was observed. The placental villus tissue responded to an increase in oxygen concentration of the perifusate with a rise in the adenosine triphosphate level and a concomitant decline in the inorganic phosphate and the phosphomonoester signals.


CONCLUSIONS
The changes observed reflect continuing dynamic glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation. The absence of a phosphocreatine peak suggests that aerobic pathways not driven by creatine kinase are important for placental metabolism. Our system demonstrates dynamic oxygen metabolism in perifused viable placental villus tissue by means of magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Kay
H H
HH
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
Hawkins
S R
SR
Wang
Y
Y
Mika
D E
DE
Ribeiro
A A
AA
Spicer
L D
LD
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D002824:Chorionic Villi / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000295:instrumentation; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010477:Perfusion / Q000295:instrumentation; D010758:Phosphorus
D010758:Phosphorus; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate