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- Title
Distribution of 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate and Folic Acid Levels in Maternal and Cord Blood Serum: Longitudinal Evaluation of Japanese Pregnant Women.
- Authors
Kubo, Yoshinori; Fukuoka, Hideoki; Kawabata, Terue; Shoji, Kumiko; Mori, Chisato; Sakurai, Kenichi; Nishikawa, Masazumi; Ohkubo, Takeshi; Oshida, Kyoichi; Yanagisawa, Naotake; Yamashiro, Yuichiro
- Abstract
"Total" folate in blood has usually been measured to evaluate the folate status of pregnant women. However, folate is composed of many metabolites. The main substrate is 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), with folic acid (FA) representing a very small component as an unmetabolized species in blood. We longitudinally evaluated 5-MTHF, FA and total homocysteine in maternal and cord blood from Japanese pregnant women. Subjects were 146 pregnant women who participated in the Chiba study of Mother and Child Health (C-MACH) prospective cohort study. Sera were obtained in early and late pregnancy, at delivery, and from cord blood. Species levels were measured by isotope-dilution mass spectrometry. Both 5-MTHF and FA levels were lower than reported levels from pregnant women in populations from countries with mandatory FA fortification. As gestational age progressed, serum 5-MTHF levels decreased, whereas serum FA levels were slightly reduced only at delivery compared to early pregnancy. A significant negative association between serum 5-MTHF and total homocysteine was shown at all examined times, but no associations with FA were evident. At delivery, cord 5-MTHF was significantly higher than maternal levels, while FA again showed no significant correlation. These results suggest that 5-MTHF is actively transported to the fetus through placental transporters and may reflect folate status during pregnancy as a physiologically important species.
- Subjects
CORD blood; FOLIC acid; LONGITUDINAL method; MASS spectrometry; PREGNANT women; HOMOCYSTEINE; PREGNANCY
- Publication
Nutrients, 2020, Vol 12, Issue 6, p1633
- ISSN
2072-6643
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/nu12061633