title: The effect of maternal smoking and ethanol on fatty acid transport by the human placenta.
abstract: The role of the placenta in controlling the supply of fatty acids to the fetus was investigated in term placentas from non-smokers (n 5), smokers (>ten cigarettes/d; n 5) and after addition of ethanol at 2 mg/ml (n 4). The maternal side was of the placenta was perfused ex vivo for 90 min with a physiological mixture of fatty acids and fatty acid:human albumin ratio. There was no effect of smoking on the transfer of linoleic (LA, 18: 2 n-6), alpha-linolenic (alphaLN, 18: 3 n-3), arachidonic (AA, 20: 4 n-6) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22: 6 n-3), expressed per perfused area (calculated from H2(18)O exchange). However, the presence of ethanol in the perfusate at a concentration of 2 mg/ml significantly reduced (P<0.01) the absolute rate of transfer of the two n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, alphaLN and DHA. This specific effect of ethanol on alphaLN and DHA also resulted in an altered selectivity for transfer of individual fatty acids. In the non-smoking control group the placenta selectively transferred polyunsaturated fatty acids to the fetus in the order DHA > AA > alphaLN > LA. The order of selectivity was unaltered in placentas from smokers, but the addition of ethanol to the perfusion medium altered the order of selectivity to AA > alphaLN > LA > DHA. The presence of ethanol in the perfusate was also associated with a significant reduction (P<0.05) in the clearance of H2(18)O. These results suggest that the presence of ethanol at a concentration of 2mg/ml may reduce the availability of polyunsaturated fatty acids to the developing fetus.
authors.affiliation: Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. p.haggarty@abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Haggarty
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Abramovich
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Page
mesh_terms: D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000187:drug effects*; D010920:Placenta / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012907:Smoking / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D000431:Ethanol