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The effect of maternal smoking and ethanol on fatty acid transport by the human placenta

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

P. Haggarty ,
D. R. Abramovich  and
K. Page
P. Haggarty*
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen AB2 9SB, Scotland, UK
D. R. Abramovich
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aberdeen University, Aberdeen AB9 2ZD, Scotland, UK
K. Page
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Aberdeen University, Aberdeen AB9 2ZD, Scotland, UK
*
*Corresponding author: Dr Paul Haggarty, fax +44 1224 684880, email p.haggarty@abdn.ac.uk
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Abstract

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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), α-linolenic (αLN, 18 : 3 n-3), arachidonic (AA, 20 : 4 n-6) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22 : 6 n-3), expressed per perfused area (calculated from H218O 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, αLN and DHA. This specific effect of ethanol on αLN 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>αLN>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>αLN>LA>DHA. The presence of ethanol in the perfusate was also associated with a significant reduction (P<0·05) in the clearance of H218O. These results suggest that the presence of ethanol at a concentration of 2 mg/ml may reduce the availability of polyunsaturated fatty acids to the developing fetus.

Keywords

PlacentaSmokingAlcoholTransportPolyunsaturated fatty acidsDocosahexaenoic acidPregnancy
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 87 , Issue 3 , March 2002 , pp. 247 - 252
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2002

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