Ethanol effect on the ionic transfer through isolated human amnion. I. Preventive and antagonistic actions of some nutrients and of their synthetic congeners.

The inhibition of the placental transfer of nutrients was studied in the pathogenesis of the fetal alcohol syndrome. Ethanol reduces the ionic transfer through the human amnion. In this study, the preventive and antagonistic actions of natural nutrients (Mg2+, Ca2+, taurine, homotaurine, gamma-aminobutyric acid) and of their synthetic congeners (Ca2+-taurinate, Ca2+-acetyltaurinate, Ca2+-acetylhomotaurinate) were observed on the amniotic conductance which was modified by ethanol. All the molecules, except Mg, demonstrated protective actions on the fetal side. The effect varied with the molecule and its concentration. An absolute protective effect was obtained on the maternal side with Ca2+-acetylhomotaurinate and Ca2+-taurinate. Some molecules, which have protective actions, had no opposing actions (homotaurine), or inversely (Mg2+), only Ca2+-acetylhomotaurinate exhibited both a preventive and an opposing action against ethanol. These results show the interest of studying synthetic molecules for prevention of fetal alcoholism.