Hepatotoxicity of maternal ethanol consumption in rat offspring: an assessment with a study of the ontogenetic development of ethanol-oxidizing systems.

The effect of chronic maternal ethanol ingestion on the ontogenetic development of rat hepatic ethanol-oxidizing systems was investigated. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity was first detected at day 19 of gestation. It then increased rapidly to reach adult levels by day 14 postnatally.