Catarina Tivane, Marcio Nogueira Rodrigues, Phelipe Oliveira Favaron, Antonio Chaves de Assis Neto, Eduardo Harry Birgel Júnior, Maria Angelica Miglino^*

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Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil;.
Faculty of Food Engineering and Animal Science, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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Abstract: Studies of calcium transfer across the placenta have been reviewed because of the physiological and nutritional importance of this mineral during pregnancy, especially in order to better understand its contribution to development of the fetal skeleton. The placental transfer of maternal calcium to the fetus represents a vital mechanism for fetal development and breast-milk production, yet little meaningful information is currently available regarding the biochemical mechanisms involved in this process. Once again, the use of different animal models as rodents, rabbit, sheep and bovine have demonstrate different mechanisms of calcium transport across the placenta and contribute to better understand its effects in both fetus and mother during the gestation. In relation to the transfer of calcium from the mother to fetus data suggest it occur via an active mechanism; thus calcium concentration is higher in fetus than in maternal blood. Despite conflicting reports, several investigators agreed that calcium concentration in the fetal blood is mainly regulated by fetal parathyroid hormone and plasma concentration of vitamin D3, a metabolite that plays a key role in calcium transport through the syncytial cells.

Keywords: Calcium; Transplacental; Homeostasis; Transport; Placenta

Cite this paper: Tivane, C. , Rodrigues, M. , Favaron, P. , Assis Neto, A. , Birgel Júnior, E. and Miglino, M. (2013) Mechanisms of calcium transport across the placenta: Review. Open Journal of Animal Sciences, 3, 13-20. doi: 10.4236/ojas.2013.31002.

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