Oxidative Stress in a Mother Consuming Alcohol during Pregnancy and in Her Newborn: A Case Report
Martina Derme,
Maria Grazia Piccioni,
Roberto Brunelli,
Alba Crognale,
Marika Denotti,
Paola Ciolli,
Debora Scomparin,
Luigi Tarani,
Roberto Paparella,
Gianluca Terrin,
Maria Di Chiara,
Alessandro Mattia,
Simona Nicotera,
Alberto Salomone,
Mauro Ceccanti,
Marisa Patrizia Messina,
Nunzia La Maida,
Giampiero Ferraguti,
Carla Petrella,
Marco Fiore
Affiliations
Martina Derme
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Maria Grazia Piccioni
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Roberto Brunelli
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Alba Crognale
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Marika Denotti
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Paola Ciolli
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Debora Scomparin
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Luigi Tarani
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Roberto Paparella
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Gianluca Terrin
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Maria Di Chiara
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Alessandro Mattia
Dipartimento Della Pubblica Sicurezza, Direzione Centrale di Sanità, Centro di Ricerche e Laboratorio di Tossicologia Forense, Ministero dell’Interno, 00185 Roma, Italy
Simona Nicotera
Dipartimento Della Pubblica Sicurezza, Direzione Centrale di Sanità, Centro di Ricerche e Laboratorio di Tossicologia Forense, Ministero dell’Interno, 00185 Roma, Italy
Alberto Salomone
Department of Chemistry, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Mauro Ceccanti
SITAC, Società Italiana per il Trattamento Dell’alcolismo e le sue Complicanze, 00185 Rome, Italy
Marisa Patrizia Messina
Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Nunzia La Maida
National Centre on Addiction and Doping, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
Giampiero Ferraguti
Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Carla Petrella
Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Marco Fiore
Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Department of Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a set of conditions resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). FASD is estimated to affect between 2% and 5% of people in the United States and Western Europe. The exact teratogenic mechanism of alcohol on fetal development is still unclear. Ethanol (EtOH) contributes to the malfunctioning of the neurological system in children exposed in utero by decreasing glutathione peroxidase action, with an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which causes oxidative stress. We report a case of a mother with declared alcohol abuse and cigarette smoking during pregnancy. By analyzing the ethyl glucuronide (EtG, a metabolite of alcohol) and the nicotine/cotinine in the mother’s hair and meconium, we confirmed the alcohol and smoking abuse magnitude. We also found that the mother during pregnancy was a cocaine abuser. As a result, her newborn was diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). At the time of the delivery, the mother, but not the newborn, had an elevation in oxidative stress. However, the infant, a few days later, displayed marked potentiation in oxidative stress. The clinical complexity of the events involving the infant was presented and discussed, underlining also the importance that for cases of FASD, it is crucial to have more intensive hospital monitoring and controls during the initial days.
