THE EFFECT OF CIGARETTE-SMOKING DURING PREGNANCY ON CORD-BLOOD LIPID,LIPOPROTEIN AND APOLIPOPROTEIN LEVELS

We examined the relationship between maternal smoking during pregnancy and serum lipid, lipoprotein and apolipoprotein levels in newborns. S erum concentrations of total cholesterol, triglyceride, high density l ipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipopr otein A-1, apolipoprotein B and lipoprotein (a) were assesed in blood samples from 38 mothers who were smokers and their newborns obtained a t delivery and compared to blood sample from 42 nonsmokers and their n ewborns. As compared with newborns of nonsmoker mothers, newborns of s moker mothers showed a lower mean level of high density lipoprotein ch olesterol (21 versus 26 mg/dl, p < 0.01), a higher total cholesterol t o high density lipoprotein cholesterol (4.7 versus 3.7, p < 0.01), a h igher low density Lipoprotein cholesterol to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratios (3.2 versus 2.3, p < 0.05), a lower mean level of a polipoprotein A-1 (105 versus 129 mg/dl, P < 0.01) and a higher apolip oprotein B to apolipoprotein A-1 ratio (0.44 versus 0.3, P < 0.01). Th ese paremeters were also different between smoker and nonsmoker mother s. There were no significant differences in TC, TG, LDL-C, Apo B and L p (a) values between the two newborn groups. These data suggest that m aternal smoking during pregnancy markedly affects lipid metabolism in the fetus.