The Effect of Hypoxia and 2,4 Dinitrophenol on Human Placental Glycogen Metabolism

The effects of 2,4 dinitrophenol and severe hypoxia (1% oxygen) on human placental glycogen metabolism were studied in immature and term human placental villi isolated in an organ culture system. It was observed that both treatments evoked similar changes in human placental glycogen turnover in terms of an acute dependent to independent form synthetase enzyme shift, an activation of the glycogen phosphorylase enzyme system, and a rapid breakdown in placental glycogen. These enzyme changes are consistent with an alteration in intracellular ATP, a known effect of these treatments, and suggest that human placental glycogen may be important to the metabolic energy balance of placental tissue during the course of gestation.