Alteration of plasma folates in gestating sows and newborn
piglets.
Natsuhori, Masahiro, Minoru Shimoda, and Ei-Ichi Kokue.
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo
University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo 183 Japan
APStracts 2:0214R, 1995.
Plasma folates (tetrahydrofolate, THF; N5-methyltetrahydrofolate, 5MF)
were determined in non-gestating, gestating and lactating sows (2 to
4 years old, 2 to 6 parities, n = 88), and in newborn, growing, and
finishing pigs (0 to 158 days old, n=191) by using high-performance
liquid chromatography with an electrochemical detector. Plasma
folates after folic acid injection (1 mg/kg, i.v.) were also
monitored in 2 day, 2 week, and 2 month old pigs. In sows, plasma
folates decreased significantly as pregnancy advanced. This was
mainly due to the decrease of THF, which must be caused by the folate
supply from maternal body to the fetuses. In newborn piglets, levels
of "total" plasma folates were much higher than those in
adults (non-gestating sows), and 5MF was the major folate content.
This result may be related to the observation that after folic acid
injection newborn piglets showed much higher metabolic activity of
folic acid to 5MF than adults. Rapid and drastic decrease of plasma
folate was observed during nursing in piglets, which is considered to
be associated with the decrease of the metabolic activity of folic
acid and rapid expansion of body volume together with negative folate
intake during nursing period.
Received 13 December 1994; accepted in final form 6 July 1994,
APS Manuscript Number R705-4.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Regulatory Integrative
Comp. Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 10 August 1995.