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This monograph concerns studies on blood lipids in the cat and rabbit, in nonpregnant, pregnant and lactating animals, in an attempt to elucidate the question concerning the transport of fatty acids across the cell membrane. The transport of lipid through the placental membrane is considered as a paradigm of lipid transport through cell membranes in general.
From experiments performed, no decisive role could be attributed to the effect of the estrogenic hormone, the corpus luteum or the chorionic hormone on blood lipids. Hyperlipemia in pregnancy is considered a physiologic expedient and hypolipemia as due to difficulty experienced by some animals in meeting the increased demands which pregnancy makes on the fat exchange. Varying blood levels during lactation are considered to be related to differing degrees of activity of the mammary tissue.
From experiments on pregnant animals, evidence indicates that an active transport of lipid material occurs through the placenta in