Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1971 Jul;24(5):449–455. doi: 10.1136/jcp.24.5.449

Cobalamins in human pregnancy and lactation

I L Craft 1,2, D M Matthews 1,2, J C Linnell 1,2
PMCID: PMC477025  PMID: 5109777

Abstract

Samples of maternal and foetal blood and of human milk, cow's milk, and dried cow's milk have been analysed for cobalamins by chromatography and bioautography. Plasma cobalamins in late pregnancy and after delivery differed quantitatively from those in healthy non-pregnant women. Differences in the proportions of plasma cobalamins were also observed between mothers and their newborn infants. The findings suggest that methylcobalamin may be a more labile plasma form of the vitamin than 5-deoxyadenosyl cobalamin. Breast milk from healthy mothers contained more deoxyadenosylcobalamin and proportionately less methylcobalamin than their plasma. Cyanocobalamin given parenterally to lactating women was detected in the plasma, and high concentrations appeared unchanged in the milk. The B12 in fresh cow's milk was found to be largely 5-deoxyadenosyl cobalamin whereas dried milk contained only hydroxocobalamin and a little cyanocobalamin. The nutritional implications of the findings, and their bearing on problems of cobalamin transport, are discussed.

Full text

PDF
449

Images in this article

451Image
on p.451
452Image
on p.452
452Image
on p.452

Selected References

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

  1. ADAMS J. F. Pregnancy and Addisonian pernicious anaemia. Scott Med J. 1958 Jan;3(1):21–25. doi: 10.1177/003693305800300103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BAKER S. J., JACOB E., RAJAN K. T., SWAMINATHAN S. P. Vitamin-B12 deficiency in pregnancy and the puerperium. Br Med J. 1962 Jun 16;1(5293):1658–1661. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5293.1658. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. 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]
  4. BOGER W. P., WRIGHT L. D., BECK G. D., BAYNE G. M. Vit. B12: correlation of serum concentrations and pregnancy. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1956 May;92(1):140–143. doi: 10.3181/00379727-92-22411. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. GLASS G. B. GASTRIC INTRINSIC FACTOR AND ITS FUNCTION IN THE METABOLISM OF VITAMIN B12. Physiol Rev. 1963 Oct;43:529–849. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1963.43.4.529. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. GRAINGER R. B., O'DELL B. L., HOGAN A. G. Congenital malformations as related to deficiencies of riboflavin and vitamin B12, source of protein, calcium to phosphorus ratio and skeletal phosphorus metabolism. J Nutr. 1954 Sep 10;54(1):33–48. doi: 10.1093/jn/54.1.33. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hibbard E. D., Spencer W. J. Low serum B12 levels and latent Addisonian anaemia in pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol Br Commonw. 1970 Jan;77(1):52–57. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1970.tb03407.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. IZAK G., RACHMILEWITZ M., STEIN Y., BERKOVICI B., SADOVSKY A., ARONOVITCH Y., GROSSOWICZ N. Vitamin B12 and iron deficiencies in anemia of pregnancy and puerperium. AMA Arch Intern Med. 1957 Mar;99(3):346–355. doi: 10.1001/archinte.1957.00260030024003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jackson I. M., Doig W. B., McDonald G. Pernicious anaemia as a cause of infertility. Lancet. 1967 Dec 2;2(7527):1159–1160. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(67)91887-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Jathar V. S., Kamath S. A., Parikh M. N., Rege D. V., Satoskar R. S. Maternal milk and serum vitamin B12, folic acid, and protein levels in Indian subjects. Arch Dis Child. 1970 Apr;45(240):236–241. doi: 10.1136/adc.45.240.236. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. KARLIN R., DUMONT M. Sur le taux de vitamine B12 dans le sérum sanguin chez la femme au cours de l'accouchement, dans celui du cordon et dans le placenta. C R Seances Soc Biol Fil. 1955 Nov;149(21-22):1986–1988. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. KARLIN R. La vitamine B12 dans le lait humain et bovin. C R Seances Soc Biol Fil. 1954 Feb;148(3-4):371–373. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Levy H. L., Mudd S. H., Schulman J. D., Dreyfus P. M., Abeles R. H. A derangement in B12 metabolism associated with homocystinemia, cystathioninemia, hypomethioninemia and methylmalonic aciduria. Am J Med. 1970 Mar;48(3):390–397. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(70)90070-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Linnell J. C., Hoffbrand A. V., Peters T. J., Matthews D. M. Chromatographic and bioautographic estimation of plasma cobalamins in various disturbances of vitamin B12 metabolism. Clin Sci. 1971 Jan;40(1):1–16. doi: 10.1042/cs0400001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Linnell J. C., Hussein H. A., Matthews D. M. A two-dimensional chromato-bioautographic method for complete separation of individual plasma cobalamins. J Clin Pathol. 1970 Dec;23(9):820–821. doi: 10.1136/jcp.23.9.820. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Linnell J. C., Mackenzie H. M., Wilson J., Matthews D. M. Patterns of plasma cobalamins in control subjects and in cases of vitamin B12 deficiency. J Clin Pathol. 1969 Sep;22(5):545–550. doi: 10.1136/jcp.22.5.545. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Low-Beer T. S., McCarthy C. F., Austad W. I., Brzechwa-Ajdukiewicz A., Read A. E. Serum vitamin B 12 levels and vitamin B 12 binding capacity in pregnant and non-pregnant Europeans and West Indians. Br Med J. 1968 Oct 19;4(5624):160–161. doi: 10.1136/bmj.4.5624.160. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Matthews D. M., Gunasegaram R., Linnell J. C. Results with radioisotopic assay of serum B12 using serum binding agent. J Clin Pathol. 1967 Sep;20(5):683–686. doi: 10.1136/jcp.20.5.683. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Metz J., Zalusky R., Herbert V. Folic acid binding by serum and milk. Am J Clin Nutr. 1968 Apr;21(4):289–297. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/21.4.289. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Mudd S. H., Levy H. L., Abeles R. H., Jennedy J. P., Jr A derangement in B 12 metabolism leading to homocystinemia, cystathioninemia and methylmalonic aciduria. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1969 Apr 10;35(1):121–126. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(69)90491-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. O'DELL B. L., WHITLEY J. R., HOGAN A. G. Vitamin B12, a factor in prevention of hydrocephalus in infant rats. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1951 Feb;76(2):349–353. doi: 10.3181/00379727-76-18487. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Peters T. J., Linnell J. C., Matthews D. M., Hoffbrand A. V. Absorption of vitamin B12 in the guinea-pig. 3. The forms of vitamin B12 in ileal mucosa and portal plasma in the fasting state and during absorption of cyanocobalamin. Br J Haematol. 1971 Mar;20(3):299–305. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1971.tb07040.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Rappazzo M. E., Salmi H. A., Hall C. A. The content of vitamin B12 in adult and foetal tissue: a comparative study. Br J Haematol. 1970 Apr;18(4):425–433. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1970.tb01456.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. SHAPIRO J., ALBERTS H. W., WELCH P., METZ J. FOLATE AND VITAMIN B-12 DEFICIENCY ASSOCIATED WITH LACTATION. Br J Haematol. 1965 Jul;11:498–504. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1965.tb06614.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. ZIFFER H., BAKER H., PASHER I., SOBOTKA H. A comparison of maternal and foetal folic acid and vitamin B12 at parturition. Br Med J. 1958 Apr 26;1(5077):978–979. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5077.978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES