abstract
An NMR-metabonomic study of malformed fetuses was carried out through human amniotic fluid (HAF) analysis. Over 70 compounds were detected in control HAF by NMR. Possible confounding variables (fetus gender and gestational and maternal ages) were shown not to induce detectable compositional trends in the control group considered, Malformed fetuses showed variations in glucose, some amino acids and organic acids and proteins. In tandem with enzymatic assays, these NMR results suggest that changes in gycolysis and gluconeogenesis as well as kidney underdevelopment occur in the malformed fetuses studied here.
keywords
MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-SPECTROSCOPY; RESEARCH-AND-DEVELOPMENT; NMR-SPECTROSCOPY; BLOOD-PLASMA; FETAL; URINE; PREGNANCY; PROBE; 2ND; MS
subject category
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
authors
Graca, G; Duarte, IF; Barros, AS; Goodfellow, BJ; Diaz, S; Carreira, IM; Couceiro, AB; Galhano, E; Gil, AM
our authors
Ana Maria Pissarra Coelho Gil
Associate Professor with Aggregation
António de Sousa Barros
Post-doc Fellowship
Brian James Goodfellow
Assistant Professor
Iola Melissa Fernandes Duarte
Principal Researcheracknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal, for funding through research project PTDC/QUI/66523/2006 and grant SFRH/BD/41869/2007 for G.G. Partial funding from CICECO is also acknowledged.