Abstract
In 7 pregnant women, treated prophylactically with salazosulfapyridine (SASP) 3 day, amniotic fluid (16th week, n=4, maternal and cord plasma (n=S) and breast milk (n=3) were analysed for SASP and the metabolites sulfapyridine (SP), acetyl sulfapyridine (Ac-SP), 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and acetyl 5-aminosalicylic acid (Ac-5-ASA). Amniotic fluid contained concentrations of SASP, SP and Ac-SP and partly also Ac-5-ASA comparable to those previously found by others, whereas 5-ASA concentrations were very low. The ratios of maternal to cord plasma for all SASP metabolites were about 1:1–1:2, except for 5-ASA, cord plasma being extremely low. In breast milk, only traces of S-ASA were detected, while Ac-S-ASA was above the plasma level. Only negligible amounts of S-ASA are thus transferred to the fetushewborn, which is of significance for the future use of the new non-sulfa-containing S-ASA preparations during and after pregnancy.