Antioxidants (Jun 2023)

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

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12061216
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 6
p. 1216

Abstract

Read online

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.

Keywords