Nutrient Levels in Amniotic Fluid from Women with Normal and Neural Tube Defect Pregnancies

1 January 1992

journal article
research article
Published by S. Karger AG in Neonatology

Vol. 61 (4) , 226-231
https://doi.org/10.1159/000243747

Abstract

We analyzed nutrient levels in amniotic fluid obtained during the second trimester of normal, uncomplicated pregnancies from 221 women who delivered apparently healthy infants and from 8 with neural tube defect (NTD) pregnancies. Folate was measured by microbiological assay, vitamin B₁₂ by a radiobinding method, and zinc, copper and iron by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. We found that the mean amniotic fluid nutrient levels of normal pregnancies were 24.7nmol/l for folate, 600pmol/l for vitamin B₁₂, and 1.7, 1.9, and 9.0 μmol/l for zinc, copper and iron, respectively. Amniotic fluid folate, zinc, copper and iron levels of NTD pregnancies were similar to those found during normal pregnancy, however, vitamin B₁₂ levels were markedly lower than those of normal pregnancies.

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