AUTHOR=Dickson Alison L. , Yutuc Eylan , Thornton Catherine A. , Wang Yuqin , Griffiths William J. 

TITLE=Identification of unusual oxysterols biosynthesised in human pregnancy by charge-tagging and liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Endocrinology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2022.1031013

DOI=10.3389/fendo.2022.1031013

ISSN=1664-2392

ABSTRACT=<p>The aim of this study was to identify oxysterols and any down-stream metabolites in placenta, umbilical cord blood plasma, maternal plasma and amniotic fluid to enhance our knowledge of the involvement of these molecules in pregnancy. We confirm the identification of 20S-hydroxycholesterol in human placenta, previously reported in a single publication, and propose a pathway from 22R-hydroxycholesterol to a C<sub>27</sub> bile acid of probable structure 3β,20R,22R-trihydroxycholest-5-en-(25R)26-oic acid. The pathway is evident not only in placenta, but pathway intermediates are also found in umbilical cord plasma, maternal plasma and amniotic fluid but not non-pregnant women.</p>