The effect of maternal alcohol consumption on the viability and visceral development of the newborn rat

Abstract

The clinical observations that offspring of pregnant alcoholics are prone to congenital defects and abnormal growth and development (fetal alcohol syndrome) have generated interest in studying this problem in a well-controlled experimental model. Accordingly, in this study, we assessed the effects of long-term maternal alcohol intake on offspring viability and growth as well as the DNA, total RNA, protein levels and DNA synthesis in brain, heart, liver, and kidney of 3-day-old newborn rats. Chronic oral intake of alcohol (mean 21 weeks plus 20 days of gestation) resulted in maternal blood alcohol levels of 67 to over 150 mg percent. There was a significant increase of newborn mortality (30%) and a decrease in their body weight at 3 days in alcohol-exposed compared to pair-fed (non-alcohol) control pups (p less than 0.025). Protein concentration was unchanged in heart, liver, and kidney and was slightly elevated in brain of 3-day-old pups exposed to ethanol in utero. DNA synthesis rates were normal in all four organs, while DNA concentration was significantly lower only in the liver of the alcohol-exposed group (p less than 0.05). In the alcohol group the total RNA levels were significantly depressed by about 10-30 percent (p less than 0.05) in all four organs studied. In conclusion, our studies suggest that prolonged maternal alcohol intake has an adverse effect on newborn rat viability and growth as well as the total RNA and to some extent DNA concentration of vital organs.