Prostaglandin E2 decreases fetal breathing movements, but not pulmonary blood flow, in fetal sheep.

Fetal breathing movements are vital for normal fetal lung growth. Inhibition of these fetal breathing movements is associated with pulmonary hypoplasia. Pulmonary hypoplasia also occurs subsequent to alterations in other factors, such as a significant decrease in pulmonary blood flow. The prostaglandin system is known to have profound effects on both fetal breathing movements and on the pulmonary vascular system. We studied six late-gestation chronically instrumented fetal sheep by using an electromagnetic flow transducer around the left pulmonary artery to determine whether a decrease in fetal breathing movements, subsequent to a continuous infusion of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), is associated with a decrease in pulmonary blood flow. A continuous PGE2 infusion of 0.88 +/- 0.11 microgram.kg-1.min-1 over 120 min led to a significant decrease in fetal breathing movements (control 40.5 +/- 3.6%, infusion 3.3 +/- 1.6%; P < 0.001). In contrast, the PGE2 infusion had no effect on mean left pulmonary artery blood flow (control 27.7 +/- 9.3 ml.min-1.kg-1, infusion 23.8 +/- 7.0 ml.min-1.kg-1. The PGE2 infusion demonstrated central effects in the percentage of time the fetus was in high-voltage electrocortical activity (control 41.9 +/- 2.5%, infusion 56.5 +/- 5.4%; P < 0.05) and in the amount of time spent in low-voltage electrocortical activity without fetal breathing movements (control 17.5 +/- 2.7%, infusion 40.2 +/- 4.8%; P < 0.05). A significant decrease in the fetal heart rate during the infusion was seen with no effect on either the systemic or pulmonary blood pressure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)