Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0432222 (SEM)
 47,337 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

As fetal swallowing is documented in utero, supplementation of the ingested amniotic fluid with nutrients or hormones has been postulated as a potential prenatal treatment for intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). To study the effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the developing fetal small intestine, 12 pregnant rabbits underwent operation on day 24 of a normal 31-day gestation. Bilateral ovarian end fetuses underwent catheterization of their respective amniotic cavities with attachment to a miniosmotic pump. Study fetuses received recombinant human EGF at approximately 300 micrograms/kg/d for 1 week; controls received carrier solution only at an equivalent rate. On gestational day 31, fetuses were delivered by cesarean section and somatic measurements were recorded. The small intestine was harvested and proximal, middle, and distal regions were analyzed for lactase and maltase enzyme activity. Additionally, the uptake of radiolabeled glucose and proline was measured by a standard everted mucosal sleeve technique for each segment. Results were analyzed by Student's paired t test and reported as mean +/- SEM. Nine fetal pairs survived (75%). Small intestinal (SI) length was increased in EGF fetuses (54.8 +/- 1.9 cm) versus control (50.4 +/- 2.7 cm) (P = .02). Lactase activity, reported as UE/g protein, was significantly increased in the proximal segments in the EGF-infused fetuses; maltase was significantly increased in both the proximal and middle segments (P < .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Effect of transamniotic administration of epidermal growth factor on fetal rabbit small intestinal nutrient transport and disaccharidase development. 826 80

To investigate the effect of normal fetal swallowing and amniotic fluid ingestion on small intestinal disaccharidase development, 13 pregnant New Zealand White rabbits underwent operation on day 24 of a normal 31-day gestation. The right ovarian fetus in the bicornuate uterus underwent esophageal ligation (EL), while the contralateral left fetus underwent cervical exploration only, and served as the control (C). Rabbits were sacrificed on gestational day 31, fetal somatic measurements obtained, and the midjejunum removed for determination of disaccharidase activity and protein content. There was one maternal death, and 9 of 12 fetal pairs survived the entire study period (75%). Results are reported as mean +/- SEM, analyzed by two-tailed Student's t testing with P < .05 being considered significant. Fetal weight was decreased in EL (48.6 +/- 2.7 g) versus C (51.4 +/- 3.2 g) (P = .06). Small intestinal length decreased in EL (49.2 +/- 2.0 cm) versus C (54.9 +/- 1.1 cm) (P = .01). Midjejunal protein content (mg/mL homogenate) was also significantly decreased in EL (38.4 +/- 3.4) versus C (46.2 +/- 3.7) (P = .05). Sucrase activity was not detectable in either group. Lactase activity in jejunal mucosa was not effected when expressed as units of enzyme per milliliter of homogenate (EL = 0.357 +/- 0.03 v C = 0.373 +/- 0.04; P = .70) and units enzyme per gram of protein (EL = 38.8 +/- 4.2 v C = 34.2 +/- 4.6; P = .44). We have confirmed previous studies demonstrating decreases in somatic growth, small intestinal length, and mucosal nutrient transport in rabbit fetuses following esophageal ligation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Effect of esophageal ligation on the development of fetal rabbit intestinal lactase. 830 62