PREMATURE LABOR .1. PROSTAGLANDIN PRECURSORS IN HUMAN PLACENTAL MEMBRANES

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 57  (4) , 473-478
Abstract
Amnion and chorion from premature and term placentas after both spontaneous labor and elective cesarean section were assayed for phospholipids and fatty acid composition by 2-dimensional TLC and GLC. In preterm placental phospholipids, P concentrations were higher in amnion than in chorion; at term, the membranes were similar owing to an increase in phospholipid concentration in the chorion late in gestation. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) accounted for 47% of the total phospholipid P, followed by sphingomyelin at 20%, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) at 15%, phosphatidylserine (PS) at 12%, and phosphatidylinositol (PI) at 5%. These percentages were similar for amnion and chorion and they did not change during gestation. The percentage of arachidonic acid (AA) was higher in PS (40-65%) than in PE (30-53%) and PC (10-13%). The percentage of AA was significantly higher in PC, PE and PS from the amnion in premature pregnancies than in those of the premature chorion. At term, these amnionic and chorionic phospholipids had similar concentrations of AA owing to a significant increase in AA in the chorion late in gestation. Amnionic PE from term and preterm elective cesarean section had a significantly higher percentage of AA than that from preterm and term labor. AA apparently is consumed during labor and amnionic phospholipids, particularly PE, may be its principal source. The amnion seems to be more important for the storage of AA than the chorion, particularly in preterm pregnancies in which the concentrations of phospholipids and the percentages of AA in PC, PE and PS were significantly higher than in the chorion.

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