BACKGROUND: The deleterious effects exerted by prenatal ethanol exposure include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities that are included in the term fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The measurement of ethylglucuronide (EtG) in alternative biological matrices, including neonatal and maternal hair, neonatal meconium, and maternal nails, is receiving increasing interest for the accurate evaluation of the in utero exposure to alcohol. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between EtG in maternal hair and nails with EtG in neonatal meconium to further explore the suitability of these biomarkers in disclosing prenatal exposure to ethanol. METHODS: A total of 151 maternal hair strands (0-6 cm), nail clips (2-6 mm), and corresponding neonatal meconium and nails samples were obtained from neonatal wards of 4 Mediterranean public hospitals: Rome, Florence, and Belluno in Italy and Barcelona in Spain. Hair, nails, and meconium were analyzed for the presence of EtG by validated liquid chromatography mass spectrometry assay. Meconium was also analyzed for the presence of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) as a complementary biomarker of potential in utero exposure to alcohol. RESULTS: Eighteen newborns resulted in utero exposed to maternal alcohol consumption by FAEE testing in meconium with EtG values between 0.5 and 1.5 nmol/g. Unfortunately, none of these cases were confirmed by the presence of EtG in maternal hair and nails samples, which resulted all negative to this biomarker. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that FAEEs and EtG in meconium are the best biomarkers to assess in utero exposure to maternal alcohol. EtG in hair and nails are not good biomarkers to disclose alcohol consumption lower than on daily basis and lower than 1-2 alcoholic units per day.
BACKGROUND: The deleterious effects exerted by prenatal ethanol exposure include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities that are included in the term fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The measurement of ethylglucuronide (EtG) in alternative biological matrices, including neonatal and maternal hair, neonatal meconium, and maternal nails, is receiving increasing interest for the accurate evaluation of the in utero exposure to alcohol. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between EtG in maternal hair and nails with EtG in neonatal meconium to further explore the suitability of these biomarkers in disclosing prenatal exposure to ethanol. METHODS: A total of 151 maternal hair strands (0-6 cm), nail clips (2-6 mm), and corresponding neonatal meconium and nails samples were obtained from neonatal wards of 4 Mediterranean public hospitals: Rome, Florence, and Belluno in Italy and Barcelona in Spain. Hair, nails, and meconium were analyzed for the presence of EtG by validated liquid chromatography mass spectrometry assay. Meconium was also analyzed for the presence of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) as a complementary biomarker of potential in utero exposure to alcohol. RESULTS: Eighteen newborns resulted in utero exposed to maternal alcohol consumption by FAEE testing in meconium with EtG values between 0.5 and 1.5 nmol/g. Unfortunately, none of these cases were confirmed by the presence of EtG in maternal hair and nails samples, which resulted all negative to this biomarker. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that FAEEs and EtG in meconium are the best biomarkers to assess in utero exposure to maternal alcohol. EtG in hair and nails are not good biomarkers to disclose alcohol consumption lower than on daily basis and lower than 1-2 alcoholic units per day.
Authors: Philip A May; Julie M Hasken; Marlene M De Vries; Anna-Susan Marais; Julie M Stegall; Daniel Marsden; Charles D H Parry; Soraya Seedat; Barbara Tabachnick Journal: Reprod Toxicol Date: 2018-02-06 Impact factor: 3.143
Authors: Philip A May; Amy Baete; Jaymi Russo; Amy J Elliott; Jason Blankenship; Wendy O Kalberg; David Buckley; Marita Brooks; Julie Hasken; Omar Abdul-Rahman; Margaret P Adam; Luther K Robinson; Melanie Manning; H Eugene Hoyme Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2014-11 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Mauro Ceccanti; Daniela Fiorentino; Giovanna Coriale; Wendy O Kalberg; David Buckley; H Eugene Hoyme; J Phillip Gossage; Luther K Robinson; Melanie Manning; Marina Romeo; Julie M Hasken; Barbara Tabachnick; Jason Blankenship; Philip A May Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2014-10-25 Impact factor: 4.492
Authors: H Eugene Hoyme; Wendy O Kalberg; Amy J Elliott; Jason Blankenship; David Buckley; Anna-Susan Marais; Melanie A Manning; Luther K Robinson; Margaret P Adam; Omar Abdul-Rahman; Tamison Jewett; Claire D Coles; Christina Chambers; Kenneth L Jones; Colleen M Adnams; Prachi E Shah; Edward P Riley; Michael E Charness; Kenneth R Warren; Philip A May Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2016-07-27 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Philip A May; Carol Keaster; Rosemary Bozeman; Joelene Goodover; Jason Blankenship; Wendy O Kalberg; David Buckley; Marita Brooks; Julie Hasken; J Phillip Gossage; Luther K Robinson; Melanie Manning; H Eugene Hoyme Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2015-08-14 Impact factor: 4.492
Authors: Hilda L Gutierrez; Lauren Hund; Shikhar Shrestha; William F Rayburn; Lawrence Leeman; Daniel D Savage; Ludmila N Bakhireva Journal: Alcohol Date: 2015-07-21 Impact factor: 2.405