Abstract • 7

Arachidonic acid (AA) is the precursor of prostaglandins, and its functional role in defense mechanisms may be relevant for extrauterine life. We investigated whether smoking habits can influence the AA content of human milk. Forty-four mothers of term infants were interviewed on their pre- and intra-pregnancy smoking habits after delivery. Pooled 24-hour milk was collected at colostrum, 1-month and 3-month lactation. The fat content of milk was determined with microgravimetric method. Fatty acid (FA) methyl esters have been analyzed be capillary gas-chromatography. Statistics: Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon tests. Thirty-one mothers were NS while 13 admitted to have been usual S (5-15 cigaretees per day). All S mothers stopped smoking by month 4 of pregnancy. AA levels (mg/L, mean±SD) of S mothers were 110±52 vs 90±63 of NS at colostrum-time, 133±60 vs 173±98 at 1 month and 118±59 vs 146±76 at 3 months. While between-group differences were not significant, the within-group increase of AA content at 1 month and 3 months was significant among NS mothers (P<0.05). Maternal smoking habits may negatively affect the secretion of AA into milk during lactation.