Table 2.
Arterial melatonin (MT) levels and oxygen partial pressure and saturation in control, control+MT, IUGR and IUGR+MT fetuses
| Group/measure | Control | Control + MT | IUGR | IUGR + MT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study 1 | ||||
| MT – basal (pg ml–1) | 235 ± 117 | 456 ± 241 | 146 ± 64 | 214 ± 51 |
| – post treatment (pg ml–1) | 208 ± 69 | 14288 ± 2648† | 171 ± 93 | 9440 ± 2339† |
 – basal (mmHg) |
22.5 ± 0.4 | 18.1 ± 1.1 | 20.4 ± 1.3 | 18.8 ± 1.7 |
| – post treatment (mmHg) | 20.7 ± 1.4 | 18.7 ± 0.7 | 17.5.0 ± 1.3* | 19.2 ± 0.6† |
| O2 saturation – basal (%) | 62.6 ± 1.7 | 53.1 ± 4.6 | 55.4 ± 2.3 | 47.4 ± 5.4 |
| – post treatment (%) | 55.8 ± 4.5 | 52.8 ± 4.6 | 47.1 ± 3.3* | 52.3 ± 3.0† |
| Study 2 | ||||
| MT (pg ml–1) | 244 ± 93 | 1045 ± 183† | 215 ± 71 | 1223 ± 126† |
 (mmHg) |
22.6 ± 1.8 | 20.7 ± 0.1 | 17.3 ± 1.2* | 19.5 ± 0.6 |
| O2 saturation (%) | 60.7 ± 5.9 | 54.1 ± 1.4 | 44.0 ± 2.0* | 51.8 ± 2.8 |
IUGR induced significant hypoxaemia (*). Maternal MT administration increased circulating fetal MT levels and returned oxygen partial pressure (
) and saturation to control values (†).