COMPARISON OF URINARY 5-L-OXOPROLINE (L-PYROGLUTAMATE) DURING NORMAL-PREGNANCY IN WOMEN IN ENGLAND AND JAMAICA

Urinary 5-L-oxoproline was measured during normal pregnancies in South ampton, England and Kingston, Jamaica, The CV of 5-L-oxoproline excret ion in urine, determined over 7 d in a nonpregnant woman and three pre gnant women, was 10-36 %, Compared with non-pregnant women, urinary 5- L-oxoproline increased three to four times from early pregnancy in wom en in Southampton, a highly significant difference, and remained eleva ted at similar levels during mid and late pregnancy, For women in King ston, the excretion of 5-L-oxoproline was similar to that of Southampt on women in the non-pregnant group and during early pregnancy, However , there was a progressive increase in the excretion of 5-L-oxoproline as pregnancy advanced and by late pregnancy excretion was from three t o ten times greater than the average for the non-pregnant women. There was a significant difference between the women in Southampton and the women in Kingston during mid and late pregnancy, with women in Kingst on excreting twice as much 5-L-oxoproline during late pregnancy, If th e excretion of 5-L-oxoproline is a measure of glycine insufficiency, t he results would indicate that in some pregnancies the ability of the mother to provide glycine for herself and the developing fetus is marg inal or inadequate and the constraint appears more marked in Jamaica t han in England.