ESSENTIAL FATTY-ACID STATUS OF FETAL PLASMA PHOSPHOLIPIDS - SIMILAR TO POSTNATAL VALUES OBTAINED AT COMPARABLE GESTATIONAL AGES

Hardly any direct information is available on the essential fatty acid (EFA) status of the fetus during intrauterine development. Therefore, we studied 86 umbilical plasma samples obtained by trans-abdominal pu ncture during ongoing pregnancies (18.3-39.0 weeks of gestational age) . These were compared with 51 samples of umbilical cord blood, collect ed immediately after birth (gestational ages, 28.5-39 weeks). The tota l amounts of fatty acids in fetal plasma phospholipids (mg/l) did not change during gestation. The relative amounts of linoleic acid (% of t otal fatty acids) showed a slight increase (P = 0.03) during fetal mat uration. Arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) decreased (both absolute (mg/l) an d relative (% wt/wt) P less than or equal to 0.0001), while docosahexa enoic acid (22:6n-3) increased (absolute P < 0.003, relative P < 0.000 1) when pregnancy progressed. The EFA profiles of fetal samples were i n general comparable with postnatal results of infants born at similar gestational ages. However, the fetal linoleic acid status was lower t han the linoleic acid status of the neonates. The same was true for th e overall EFA status. The results of this study indicate that the low EFA status observed in preterm infants at birth, is a developmentally related phenomenon.