Zinc transport in pregnancy.

Although the importance of zinc nutrition during pregnancy has been well recognized, there have been few studies of zinc transport in maternal or fetal sera. We examined total serum zinc levels as well as zinc associated with its major transport proteins, albumin and alpha 2-macroglobulin, prospectively in 46 women during gestation and in 27 of their infants at term. In five women who developed preeclampsia during the third trimester, the mean total serum zinc level at 6 to 14 weeks was decreased by 14% compared to control values (p less than 0.05). Fetomaternal differences between the zinc transport proteins support the concept that each may have a specific role(s) in zinc homeostasis which is regulated to a greater extent by metabolic factors than by dietary zinc intake alone.