Development of an Artificial Placenta: Endocrine Responses of Goat Fetuses during Long-Term Extrauterine Incubation with Umbilical Arteriovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

• Published in: Endocrine Journal Vol. 41; no. Supplement; pp. S69 - S76
• Main Authors: UNNO, NOBUYA, KUWABARA, YOSHINORI, NARUMIYA-TAKIKAWA, YUMIKO, TAKECHI, KIMIHIRO, MASUDA, HARUO, OGAMI, YOSHIKO, TSUSHIMA, RURIKO, SAKAI, MASATO, OKAI, TAKASHI, KOZUMA, SHIRO, BABA, KAZUNORI, TAKETANI, YUJI
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Japan Endocrine Society 1994
• Subjects: Adrenocorticotropic hormone; Catecholamines; Cortisol; Extrauterine fetal incubation; Renal dysfunction
• ISSN: 0918-8959; 1348-4540
• DOI: 10.1507/endocrj.41.Supplement_S69

To investigate endocrine responses of isolated premature goat fetuses during long-term extrauterine incubation with umbilical arteriovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (A-V ECMO), we conducted experiments in seven goat fetuses (95-134 days gestation). The fetuses were cannulated from the umbilical vessels, and their blood-gas exchange was totally supported by A-V ECMO, while they were maintained in an isothermal incubator containing artificial amniotic fluid. The survival period was between 84 and 190 h. At 24-h intervals, fetal blood samples were collected, and plasma concentrations of catecholamines, ACTH, and cortisol were determined. After 24 h of incubation, fetal circulatory and respiratory variables remained stable, until evident circulatory failure occurred before their deaths. A similar pattern was observed in temporal changes in plasma concentrations of catecholamines, ACTH, and cortisol. Plasma levels were high during the initial 24 h of incubation, subsequently decreased, and then increased before death. Hormone levels during stable periods were equivalent to or slightly higher than values for fetuses in utero. These results suggest that conditions during the stable period of long-term extracorporeal fetal incubation are not highly stressful for the isolated fetuses.