Dynamic Parameters of Glycine Metabolism in Normotensive Human Pregnancy and in Hypertensive Pregnancy with Fetal Growth Retardation

The study deals with kinetic parameters of glycine metabolism during pregnancy and the influence of nutrient availability in the maternal compartment. The effect of hypertension, accompanied by fetal growth retardation on 15N-glycine kinetic parameters in comparison to normotensive pregnancies with normal fetal growth, has been determined. This process was measured by administration of a single-dose 15N-glycine to postabsorptive normotensive and hypertensive pregnant women during the third trimester of pregnancy. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to determine the 15N enrichment of plasma glycine, and to calculate the pool sizes, turnover rate constants, fluxes and metabolic clearance rates.Glycine pool size levels, turnover rate constants, fluxes find metabolic clearance rates were not different between normotensive and hypertensive pregnant women, although the latter group delivered small-for-gestational age fetuses.