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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 286/5/E844    most recent 00556.2003v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (8) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Quadro, L. Articles by Blaner, W. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Quadro, L. Articles by Blaner, W. S.

Transplacental delivery of retinoid: the role of retinol-binding protein and lipoprotein retinyl ester

¹Institute of Cancer Research and Departments of ³Pediatrics and ⁴Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032; and ²Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy

Submitted 8 December 2003 ; accepted in final form 17 January 2004

Retinoids are required for normal embryonic development. Both embryonic retinoid deficiency and excess result in congenital malformations. There is little understanding of the physiology underlying retinoid transfer from the maternal circulation to the embryo. We now report studies that explore this process using retinol-binding protein-deficient (RBP^–/–) mice and mice that express human RBP on the RBP^–/– background. Our studies establish that dietary retinoid, bound to lipoproteins, can serve as an important source for meeting tissue retinoid requirements during embryogenesis. Indeed, retinyl ester concentrations in the circulations of pregnant RBP^–/– mice are significantly elevated over those observed in wild-type mice, suggesting that lipoprotein retinyl esters may compensate for the absence of retinol-RBP during pregnancy. We also demonstrate, contrary to earlier proposals, that maternal RBP does not cross the placenta and cannot enter the fetal circulation. Overall, our data indicate that both retinol-RBP and retinyl esters bound to lipoproteins are able to provide sufficient retinoid to the embryo to allow for normal embryonic development.

retinol; chylomicron; vitamin A; embryogenesis; placenta

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