Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1965 Sep;18(5):599–604. doi: 10.1136/jcp.18.5.599

Enzymatic release of folate activity from the red cells in megaloblastic anaemia of pregnancy

Helena Grzesiukowicz 1,2, R F Jennison 1,2, A H Gowenlock 1,2
PMCID: PMC473013  PMID: 5835441

Abstract

The content of folate activity precursors in washed red cells and the enzymatic plasma factor activity, necessary for the release of folate from the precursors, were studied in normal subjects and in patients with megaloblastic anaemia of pregnancy. Subjects with megaloblastic anaemia of pregnancy had a significantly reduced folate activity precursor content, and 14 subjects (58%) had significantly low plasma factor activity, which in at least four subjects may have been due to the presence of inhibitors. This study indicates that impaired activity of the plasma factor may play a part in the aetiology of megaloblastic anaemia of pregnancy.

Full text

PDF
599

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BAKER H., HERBERT V., FRANK O., PASHER I., HUTNER S. H., WASSERMAN L. R., SOBOTKA H. A microbiologic method for detecting folic acid deficiency in man. Clin Chem. 1959 Aug;5(4):275–280. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BALL E. W., GILES C. FOLIC ACID AND VITAMIN B12 LEVELS IN PREGNANCY AND THEIR RELATION TO MEGALOBLASTIC ANAEMIA. J Clin Pathol. 1964 Mar;17:165–174. doi: 10.1136/jcp.17.2.165. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. CHANARIN I., ANDERSON B. B., MOLLIN D. L. The absorption of folic acid. Br J Haematol. 1958 Apr;4(2):156–166. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1958.tb03846.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. CHANARIN I., MACGIBBON B. M., O'SULLIVAN W. J., MOLLIN D. L. Folic-acid deficiency in pregnancy. The pathogenesis of megaloblastic anaemia of pregnancy. Lancet. 1959 Oct 24;2(7104):634–639. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(59)91409-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. CHANARIN I., MOLLIN D. L., ANDERSON B. B. The clearance from the plasma of folic acid injected intravenously in normal subjects and patients with megaloblastic anaemia. Br J Haematol. 1958 Oct;4(4):435–446. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1958.tb06045.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. COOPER B. A., LOWENSTEIN L. Evaluation of assessment of folic-acid deficiency by serum folic-acid activity measured with L. casei. Can Med Assoc J. 1961 Oct 28;85:987–988. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. COX E. V., MATTHEWS D. M., MEYNELL M. J., COOKE W. T., GADDIE R. Cyanocobalamin, ascorbic acid and pteroylglutamates in normal and megaloblastic bone marrow. Blood. 1960 Mar;15:376–387. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. GROSSOWICZ N., MANDELBAUM-SHAVIT F., DAVIDOFF R., ARONOVITCH J. Microbiologic determination of folic acid derivatives in blood. Blood. 1962 Nov;20:609–616. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. HERBERT V., BAKER H., FRANK O., PASHER I., SOBOTKA H., WASSERMAN L. R. The measurement of folic acid activity in serum: a diagnostic aid in the differentiation of the megaloblastic anemias. Blood. 1960 Feb;15:228–235. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. HERBERT V., LARRABEE A. R., BUCHANAN J. M. Studies on the identification of a folate compound of human serum. J Clin Invest. 1962 May;41:1134–1138. doi: 10.1172/JCI104565. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. HERBERT V. The assay and nature of folic acid activity in human serum. J Clin Invest. 1961 Jan;40:81–91. doi: 10.1172/JCI104240. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. HERBERT V., ZALUSKY R. Interrelations of vitamin B12 and folic acid metabolism: folic acid clearance studies. J Clin Invest. 1962 Jun;41:1263–1276. doi: 10.1172/JCI104589. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. IZAK G., RACHMILEWITZ M., SADOVSKY A., BERCOVICI B., ARONOVITCH J., GROSSOWICZ N. Folic acid metabolites in whole blood and serum in anemia of pregnancy. Am J Clin Nutr. 1961 Jul-Aug;9:473–477. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/9.4.473. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. NORONHA J. M., ABOOBAKER V. S. Studies on the folate compounds of human blood. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1963 Jun;101:445–447. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(63)90501-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. PHILLIPS P. M., TOENNIES G., USDIN E. Precursors of the folic acid-active factors of blood. J Biol Chem. 1956 Aug;221(2):855–863. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. TOENNIES G., PHILLIPS P. M. Blood folic acid studies. V. Resolution of precursor and enzyme fractions of the blood folic acid system. J Biol Chem. 1959 Sep;234:2369–2372. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. WATERS A. H., MOLLIN D. L. Studies on the folic acid activity of human serum. J Clin Pathol. 1961 Jul;14:335–344. doi: 10.1136/jcp.14.4.335. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES