A guinea pig model for the identification of in utero alcohol exposure using fatty acid ethyl esters in neonatal hair

Measuring levels of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) in hair has been a useful way to discriminate between adult heavy and nondrinkers. Extending the use of FAEE into neonatal hair to objectively identify children exposed to alcohol in utero may revolutionize current methods used to diagnose fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Here we confirm for the first time that chronic exposure to alcohol during pregnancy in guinea pigs leads to increased levels of FAEE in both maternal and neonatal hair. The mean cumulative FAEE concentration in exposed maternal samples taken at GD57 was 0.431 ± 0.140 pmol/mg (mean ± SEM); levels observed in corresponding sucrose and water controls were 10-fold lower. Similarly, FAEE concentrations in exposed offspring samples taken at postnatal d 1 (mean cumulative FAEE = 0.491 ± 0.177 pmol/mg) were more than 15-fold higher than control counterparts. Sixty percent of all alcohol-exposed animal samples contained two or more quantifiable FAEE, whereas close to 90% of either water or sucrose control samples did not have more than one quantifiable level of a single FAEE. Results of this study suggest that FAEE in neonatal hair may be useful biomarkers in identifying in utero alcohol exposure and may facilitate the early diagnosis and treatment of FASD.