Influences of maternal ethanol intake on maternal and perinatal hepatic heme and drug metabolizing enzymes in rats.

The effect of ethanol on maternal and neonatal hepatic heme and drug metabolizing systems was determined. Ethanol (16%, w/v) was administered orally as drinking solution to pregnant or lactating rats at different pre- and post-natal stages. The dams and pups were sacrificed on days 7, 14 and 21 after parturition, respectively. Ethanol administration to lactating rats from just after birth caused an appreciable decrease in the maternal and neonatal body and liver weights. In addition, the activities of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-cytochrome c reductase, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-cytochrome b5 reductase and heme oxygenase were significantly enhanced in the livers of neonates whose mothers were exposed to the ethanol during only first week of lactation, but those activities were not altered in the maternal livers. However, no remarkable alterations were observed in the contents of cytochrome P-450 and b5, and the activities of aminopyrine demethylase, aniline hydroxylase and delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase in the livers of neonates from mothers who had received ethanol during lactation period or last week of gestation, although the activities of aminopyrine demethylase and aniline hydroxylase were enhanced significantly in lactating dams by ethanol consumption for 14 d after parturition.