title: Electrical potential difference between mother and conceptus in the mouse.
abstract: This study aimed to determine whether there is a maternofetal potential difference (PD) in the mouse. The mean (+/- SEM) in vivo electrical potential difference (PD(sa)) between saline filled catheters in the maternal subcutaneous space (s) and the fetal amniotic sac (a) measured, according to strict criteria, in anaesthetised MF1 mice at a gestational age of 18-20 (term 20) days was 3.9+/-0.5 mV (significantly different from zero P<0.0001) in 16 conceptuses from 11 mice with the amniotic sac positive with respect to the maternal catheter. The PD(sv) between maternal tail vein (v) and maternal subcutaneous space was -0.8+/-0.4 mV (n=3: not significantly different from zero). Measurement of PD between two different maternal subcutaneous catheters (n=4) was < or =0.5 mV. This study shows that there is a maternofetal PD in the mouse and provides the foundation for studies addressing its mechanism of generation in this species.
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Reproductive Health Care, The Medical School, University of Manchester, St. Mary's Hospital, Manchester M13 0JH, UK.
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Sibley
authors.forename: R D H
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Husain
mesh_terms: D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D011247:Pregnancy