The rôle of the placenta in the fat metabolism of the rabbit foetus

Abstract

The lipid composition of the placenta and of the fetus, detd. by oxidative micro-methods in rabbits at intervals during gestation, varied in each according to the stage of pregnancy. In the fetus, the % of phospholipins and free cholesterol increased rapidly up to the middle of pregnancy, then more slowly until the last week when again the rate increased, this time accompanied by an increase in neutral fat. In the placenta, the % of phospholipins decreased during the first half of pregnancy and increased in the last week or two; the opposite changes occurred with cholesterol esters with minor variations in free cholesterol and neutral fat. It was concluded that in the last week or two of pregnancy a marked increase in fat metabolism occurs in the fetus, accompanied by increased activity on the part of the placenta. This suggested that lipids are transferred from mother to offspring by direct activity of placental cells and not merely by physical diffusion through placental membranes.