Extraction of radioactive rubidium and D-glucose from the artificially perfused intervillous space of the human placenta.

Extraction (Et) of 86Rb and [14C]D-glucose from the artificially perfused intervillous space of the human placenta was measured using [3H]L-glucose as a reference tracer. E. of 86Rb increased slowly from initial values near zero to a late maximum, which indicates that Et was greatly influenced by heterogeneity of indicator transit times through the intervillous space. The ascending part of the plot of -1n(I-Et) against time (t) of 86Rb was approximately linear. In each experiment the time corresponding to zero extraction was estimated by linear extrapolation of the plot. The mean of the times obtained in the individual experiments corresponded to the most frequent transit time of the indicators through the system outside the placenta. These observations suggest that 86Rb is taken up by the trophoblast from the entire space perfused. Under such conditions the rate of the trophoblast uptake can be estimated from the slope of the above plot. Unlike that of 86Rb, Et of [14C]D-glucose increased rapidly to a relatively steady level. This time course of Et may result from combined effects of transit time heterogeneity and rapid back-flux of the tracer.