Prolactin and fetal osmoregulation: water transport across isolated human amnion

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The addition of human or ovine prolactin to the fetal side of the human amnion was associated with a latent decrease in membrane permeability. The specificity of this effect of prolactin was observed when equimolar concentrations of human placental lactogen and human growth hormone were used in place of ovine prolactin and failed to influence water transport. The extracellular transport of p-aminohippurate across human amnion was unaffected by the addition of ovine prolactin. 3H2O transport under these circumstances remained impaired. The addition of antibody to ovine prolactin completely blocked the effect of this polypeptide on membrane permeability. Permeability to 3H2O remained unchanged when synthetic arginine vasopressin was added to the fetal side of the amnion. An active role for prolactin on water transport across human amnion was found. The latent period between the addition of the polypeptide and its subsequent influence on permeability suggests a biologic effect of this hormone. The relationship between this effect and ion transfer remains to be shown.