Effects of nicotine and nicotine/ethanol on human placental amino acids transfer

Ethanol abuse and smoking during pregnancy both result in decreased offspring weight. One explanation for this may be impaired placental nutrient transport. This study assessed this possibility utilizing the 4-hr perfused human placental system and human placental vesicles exposed to "physiological," 0.2 microM and large (about 20 microM) nicotine concentrations alone, as well as nicotine combined with ethanol, 200 or 400 mg/ml, for up to 48 hr. Two nonmetabolizable amino acids, alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) and cycloleucine (CLEU) were used as probes. Nicotine was measured by gas chromatography in the placental perfusion system and vesicles and verified as to concentration. There was no statistically significant evidence of decreased transport of these amino acids with exposure to nicotine alone or nicotine and ethanol together in either test system. Thus, brief exposure to nicotine and ethanol does not impair amino acid transport by the human placenta.