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Selective Fetal Malnutrition: Effect of Acute and Chronic Ethanol Exposure upon Rat Placental Na, K‐ATPase Activity
Author(s) -
Fisher Stanley E.,
Duffy Lynn,
Atkinson Mark
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1986.tb05062.x
Subject(s) - medicine , endocrinology , fetus , gestation , ethanol , fetal alcohol syndrome , atpase , placenta , pregnancy , biology , enzyme , chemistry , biochemistry , genetics
Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is characteristic of the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). This IUGR is partly due to the toxic effect of ethanol upon placental function, including amino add transport Amino acid transport is dependent, in part, upon Na,K‐ATPase; therefore, plasma membrane activity of Na,K‐ATPase was measured in rat placentas following acute or chronic ethanol exposure. Acute (A) animals were chow fed and gavaged with ethanol on day 20 of gestation and kMed 2 hr later; controls (A‐C) received sucrose. Binge (B) animals were gavaged on gestation days 18 and 19; controls (B‐C) received sucrose. Chronic animals were fed ethanol in a liquid diet containing 2% (CHR‐2%) or 6% (CHR‐6%) ethanol by volume and killed on day 20. Controls (CHR‐2%‐C or CHR‐6%‐C) were isocatoricafy pair fed. Maternal blood ethanol levels were 197.1 ± 29.7 mg/dl (mean ± SE) for A dams and 128.2 ± 15.2 for B (drawn at time of death); 12.6 ± 2.2 for CHR‐2% and 195.0 ± 26.0 for CHR‐6% (drawn weekly and at time of death). Placental weight was increased and fetal weight decreased in the CHR‐6% animals. A, B, and CHR‐2% placental and fetal weights were unaffected. Na,K‐ATPase specific activity was increased in B placentas: B = 134.7 ± 16.5 versus B‐C = 50.0 ± 7.4 nmoi of P 1 /mg of protein/mm (p < 0.01). Conversely, CHR‐6% treatment diminished enzyme activity: CHR‐6%= 37.0 ± 4.5 versus CHR‐6%‐C = 58.5 ± 4.4 (p < 0.01). The same magnitude of reduction was seen in activity per total membrane fraction per placenta for CHR‐6% treatment It is concluded that chronic, high Mood levels of ethanol lead to diminished placental Na,K‐ATPase activity in the rat which may help to explain the IUGR seen in the FAS.