Ethanol and polyamine metabolism in adult and fetal tissues: possible implication in fetus damage

The influence of ethanol treatment on various enzymes involved in the metabolism of polyamines, substances implicated in cell physiology, growth and differentiation, is reviewed. In particular, we studied the effect of acute in utero ethanol exposure on fetal liver diamine oxidase, the enzyme involved in the oxidative deamination of biogenic amines as well as in the terminal catabolism of polyamines. Ethanol, in contrast to that previously observed in adult rat liver, caused in fetal liver a significant diminution in diamine oxidase activity, which appeared reversible and was not dose-dependent with 2 or 4 g/kg body weight. These findings and the possible implication of altered polyamine metabolism in the pathogenesis of fetal alcohol syndrome are discussed.