New perspectives on placental fatty acid transfer

Publication date: Available online 4 October 2018Source: Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty AcidsAuthor(s): Rohan M. Lewis, Caroline E. Childs, Philip C. CalderAbstractThe human fetus depends on placental transfer for the fatty acids required for its growth and development. Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) may specifically influence neurodevelopment. Therefore, it is important to understand the mechanisms of placental transfer of LC-PUFAs. The simple view of placental fatty acid transfer is that it occurs by diffusion down the maternal to fetal gradient, facilitated by membrane transporters. This view has been complicated by studies highlighting the role of placental metabolism in fatty acid transfer. Most fatty acids taken up by the placenta will be esterified and incorporated into lipid rather than diffusing directly across to the fetus. Furthermore, this esterification is likely to mean that placental intracellular “free” fatty acid concentrations are lower than in fetal plasma which would not be conducive to simple diffusion of fatty acids to the fetus. Placental structure poses additional questions, in particular how fatty acids cross the hydrophilic villous stroma separating the trophoblast from the endothelium and how they cross the endothelium itself. The understanding of placental fatty acid transfer needs to evolve to address these questions. The role of the placenta is not simply to mediate solute transfer; it is also a central en...

Source: Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids (PLEFA) - October 4, 2018 Category: Lipidology Source Type: research