Maternal, fetal, and neonatal elimination of ethanol in nonhuman primates

Three cynomolgus and 6 rhesus monkeys (106-160 days gestational age) were administered ethanol (0.8-1.5 g/kg i.v.) over a 30-min period. Blood samples were drawn under anesthesia from catheters in the maternal femoral artery, fetal umbilical circulation and/or neonatal umbilical artery. Comparison of maternal/fetal blood sample pairs from 60 to 300 min after initiation of the ethanol infusion revealed a significant correlation of blood ethanol concentration (r = 0.968, p less than 0.001). Thus, during the elimination phase, maternal blood ethanol concentrations are predictive of fetal blood ethanol concentrations. In three studies where the fetus was delivered 2 h after the infusion of ethanol, the neonatal rates of elimination were observed to be approximately 1/4 those of the mother. These data indicate that during the last third of nonhuman primate pregnancy, the maternal component of ethanol elimination appears to be the predominant factor in the overall rate of fetal ethanol elimination.