Carbohydrate-induced lipogenesis in the human placenta of normal and diabetic pregnancies.

Using in vitro incubation, human placental slices have been shown to synthesize lipid from 14-C fructose, but to a lesser extent than from 14-C glucose. Diabetic placentae did not incorporate more of either sugar into lipid than did placentae from normal pregnancies; nor did insulin in the incubation medium enhance lipogenesis. There was a correlation between the extent of incorporation of 14-C fructose and 14-C glucose into triglyceride, suggesting a linked enzyme system for phosphorylation of the two hexoses.