Effect of acute ethanol administration on diamine oxidase activity in maternal, embryonal and fetal tissues.

Pregnant rats were acutely treated with ethanol to study the influence of this drug on diamine oxidase activity of maternal, embryonal, and fetal tissues. When ethanol was given on day 12 of gestation, enzyme activity was unmodified in placenta and embryo, whereas it was reduced by 38 and 31%, respectively, in maternal liver and plasma at 3 h. When ethanol was given on day 18 of gestation, diamine oxidase activity diminished in maternal liver, plasma and placenta by about 35-40% at 6 h. Moreover, in the fetus ethanol caused a 35% diminution of enzyme activity in liver at 6 h and a 45% stimulation in brain at 3 h, and of about 65% at 6-12 h. These data may be of interest in view of the physiological role of diamine oxidase in the oxidation of the large amounts of amines produced during pregnancy.