Effect of ethanol on ovine fetal and maternal plasma prostaglandin E2 concentrations and fetal breathing movements.

The effect of maternal administration of ethanol on fetal and maternal plasma prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) concentrations and fetal breathing movement was determined in the near-term pregnant ewe. Six conscious instrumented pregnant ewes (between 129 and 134 days of gestation; term, 147 days) were studied on two successive days (day 1 and day 2). On each of the two days of the experiment, there was a 1-h period of maternal infusion of ethanol (1 g ethanol/kg total body weight) or an equivalent volume of normal saline. Animals were assigned to two groups with one group (n = 3) receiving ethanol on day 1 and saline on day 2, and the other group (n = 3) receiving saline on day 1 and ethanol on day 2. Fetal and maternal blood samples were collected at selected times for blood ethanol determination (n = 2), and plasma was obtained for the determination of PGE2 concentration (n = 6). Fetal breathing movements were monitored continuously during the experimental periods. Maternal saline infusion had no effect (P greater than 0.05) on fetal breathing movement and fetal and maternal plasma PGE2 concentrations (187 +/- 25 (SEM) pg/ml and 196 +/- 32 pg/ml, respectively). Maternal ethanol infusion suppressed (P less than 0.05) fetal breathing movement below preinfusion levels for 8 h and increased (P less than 0.05) both fetal and maternal plasma PGE2 concentrations to 314 +/- 55 pg/ml and 306 +/- 25 pg/ml, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)