Volume 87, Issue 3, March (2002), pp. 247-252 © The Author 2002
doi:10.1079/BJN2001514

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

P. Haggarty^1,*, D. R. Abramovich² and K. Page
Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen AB2 9SB, Scotland, UK
²Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aberdeen University, Aberdeen AB9 2ZD, Scotland, UK
³Department of Biomedical Sciences, Aberdeen University, Aberdeen AB9 2ZD, Scotland, UK

 (Received 10 July 2001–Revised 20 September 2001–Accepted 20 November 2001)

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:
Placenta: Smoking: Alcohol: Transport: Polyunsaturated fatty acids: Docosahexaenoic acid: Pregnancy