Clinical approach to intestinal maturation in neonates prenatally exposed to alcohol.
OBJECTIVE
The need for a non-invasive diagnosis of the effects of ethanol in utero on the development of the intestine in humans led us to look for a serum marker of the structural integrity of the intestine. We propose apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) as a possible candidate. In humans this protein is synthesized only by intestinal mucosa, it is expressed in the enterocyte of the foetus from 20 weeks of gestation, and it is released to the blood stream after synthesis.


METHODS
We measured the levels of apoA-IV in the umbilical cord serum of neonates whose mothers had consumed alcohol during pregnancy and neonates born to women who had not (controls). The gestational age at delivery of the cases studied ranged from 36 to 42 weeks. ELISA and Western blot analysis were used.


RESULTS
There was no difference in the mean body weight of neonates from either group. Nevertheless, exposure to ethanol in utero significantly reduced (by about 30%) the apoA-IV levels in serum at birth, regardless of body weight.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that circulating apoA-IV levels could be used as a clinical marker of the prenatal effects of ethanol on the structural integrity of the intestine. Neonatal diagnosis of these intestinal effects could improve post-natal outcome.
Través
Carmen
C
Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av/ Diagonal 645, Barcelona, Spain.
Coll
Oriol
O
Cararach
Vicens
V
Gual
Antoni
A
de Tejada
Begoña Martínez
BM
López-Tejero
M Dolores
MD
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4 / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D007422:Intestines / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies
D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D015415:Biomarkers; D002784:Cholesterol