Abstract
Alcohol is a well-known teratogen, and its use during pregnancy is associated with a range of neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders in children (including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders). Alcohol is metabolized by oxidative (acetaldehyde) and nonoxidative pathways by enzymatic conjugation of alcohol to endogenous metabolites. This produces fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs), ethyl glucuronide (EtG), and ethyl sulfate (EtS), which persist in tissues and body fluids for much longer periods than alcohol itself and are, thus, useful biomarkers of alcohol exposure. Meconium, the first fecal matter of a neonate, is detected in the gastrointestinal tract of the fetus in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The nonoxidative metabolites FAEEs and EtG are commonly detected in meconium, and EtS may also be detected. Determination of these metabolites in meconium provides an objective and valuable measure for detecting prenatal alcohol use. These metabolites provide more accurate data on alcohol use during pregnancy than maternal self-reporting/questionnaires. Thus, alcohol use during pregnancy can be monitored using meconium as an alternative to other biological matrices.
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