The transport of polyunsaturated fatty acids across the placenta to the fetus and the subsequent growth and development of the infant

我们分析了沿着宫城县海岸生活的523名孕妇的母体和脐带血红细胞中的多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）组成，并确定了花生四烯酸（ARA）和二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）通过胎盘向胎儿的转运。婴儿的PUFA水平反映了他们的母亲，表明PUFA通过胎盘运输到胎儿决定了脐带血红细胞中PUFA的组成。孕晚期孕妇红细胞ARA水平较孕中期下降，而DHA水平无明显变化。这一发现表明，母亲血液中的DHA满足了胎儿在妊娠晚期不断增长的需求。

We analyzed the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) compositions in maternal and cord blood erythrocytes of 523 pregnant women living along the shore of the Miyagi prefecture and determined the transport of arachidonic acid (ARA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) across the placenta to the fetus. The PUFA levels of infants reflected those of their mothers, indicating that PUFA transport across the placenta to the fetus determined the PUFA compositions in cord blood erythrocytes. In the third trimester, the ARA level in maternal erythrocytes decreased compared with that in the second trimester, but no change in maternal DHA was observed. This finding suggested that the DHA in maternal blood satisfied the increasing demand of the fetus in the third trimester.