Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Alerts
  • Advertising/recruitment
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • By specialty
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All...
  • Videos
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
    • Author's Takes
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews...
    • Mechanisms Underlying the Metabolic Syndrome (Oct 2019)
    • Reparative Immunology (Jul 2019)
    • Allergy (Apr 2019)
    • Biology of familial cancer predisposition syndromes (Feb 2019)
    • Mitochondrial dysfunction in disease (Aug 2018)
    • Lipid mediators of disease (Jul 2018)
    • Cellular senescence in human disease (Apr 2018)
    • View all review series...
  • Collections
    • Recently published
    • In-Press Preview
    • Commentaries
    • Concise Communication
    • Editorials
    • Viewpoint
    • Scientific Show Stoppers
    • Top read articles
  • Clinical Medicine
  • JCI This Month
    • Current issue
    • Past issues

  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Author's Takes
  • Recently published
  • Brief Reports
  • Technical Advances
  • Commentaries
  • Editorials
  • Hindsight
  • Review series
  • Reviews
  • The Attending Physician
  • First Author Perspectives
  • Scientific Show Stoppers
  • Top read articles
  • Concise Communication
Top
  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a letter
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article
  • Share this article
  • Need Help? E-mail the JCI
  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history

Advertisement

Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI112616

The unique endocrine milieu of the fetus.

D A Fisher

Find articles by Fisher, D. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

First published September 1, 1986 - More info

Published in Volume 78, Issue 3 on September 1, 1986
J Clin Invest. 1986;78(3):603–611. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI112616.
© 1986 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
First published September 1, 1986 - Version history
Abstract

Table II summarizes in tabular form the major features of the fetal endocrine milieu discussed in the foregoing pages. The mammalian fetus develops in an environment where respiration, alimentation, and excretory functions are provided by the placenta. Fetal tissue metabolism is oriented largely to anabolism; body temperature is modulated by maternal metabolism, and fetal tissue thermogenesis is maintained at a basal level. Tissue and organ growth appear to be regulated by growth factors which probably function by autocrine or paracrine mechanisms during most of gestation (72, 146-148). In this milieu conventional endocrine control systems are largely redundant, and other transient systems more appropriate to the intrauterine environment have evolved. We have developed some insights into these systems, but much more information is necessary before we can truly understand this fascinating environment.

Browse pages

Click on an image below to see the page. View PDF of the complete article

icon of scanned page 603
page 603
icon of scanned page 604
page 604
icon of scanned page 605
page 605
icon of scanned page 606
page 606
icon of scanned page 607
page 607
icon of scanned page 608
page 608
icon of scanned page 609
page 609
icon of scanned page 610
page 610
icon of scanned page 611
page 611
Version history
  • Version 1 (September 1, 1986): No description

Article tools

  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a letter
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article
  • Share this article
  • Need Help? E-mail the JCI

Go to:

  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
Advertisement
Advertisement
Follow JCI:
Copyright © 2019 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts