Effects Of Maternal Alcohol Consumption Research Articles

Alcohol consumption during gestation reduces the histamine and triiodothyronine content of rat immune cells

Different factors acting during pregnancy can cause non-morphological alterations of cells which are manifested later, in adulthood. We studied the effect of maternal alcohol consumption for one day in early pregnancy on the hormone content of immune cells in the adult rat. Lactating dams were given 15% ethanol in the drinking water for 24 h on the 3rd day post partum, exposing their pups to ethanol in the breast milk. Some of the same dams had been successfully mated on the day of delivery, so that they were also 3 days pregnant on the treatment day, exposing embryos to alcohol on the third day of pregnancy. In 4 month old pups histamine and triiodothyronine (T(3)) content of citrate elicited peritoneal immune cells (lymphocytes, monocyte-macrophage-granulocyte group, mast cells) as well as thymic cells were determined by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy using specific antibodies. Alcohol treatment during pregnancy decreased highly significantly the content of both hormones in peritoneal cells of the 4 month old adult animals while it was ineffective by breast feeding after birth. Thymic cells did not show any changes. Since the immune system had not developed at the time of treatment (3rd day of pregnancy), stem cells were presumably imprinted. Our results indicate the deleterious effects of early maternal alcohol consumption on the hormone content of the immune system.

The Effects of Chronic Ethanol Consumption During Early Pregnancy on Conceptus Health and Uterine Function in Pigs

Background: Maternal ethanol consumption impairs fetal health, but it is unclear if this occurs through direct actions on the conceptus or indirectly through effects on the uterus. The objective of this study was to determine if chronic ethanol consumption in swine would impair early embryonic and fetal health either through direct effects on the conceptus or indirect effects on the endometrium.Methods: Four experiments evaluated the effects of chronic ethanol consumption during early pregnancy. Female pigs were fed either 350 ml of 95% ethanol or an isocaloric amount of dextrose at 10 to 14‐hr intervals beginning on day 10 after pubertal estrus and continuing until ovariohysterectomy 11 to 35 days after mating. At the second estrus, pigs were mated to a fertile boar that did not consume alcohol.Results: In experiment 1, ethanol consumption increased (p < 0.01) blood alcohol concentrations that peaked 2–3 hr after feeding. In experiment 2, ethanol was detectable in uterine flushings 2 hr after feeding on day 11 of pregnancy and was highly correlated (r= 0.989, p < 0.001) with blood alcohol concentration. In experiment 3, ethanol consumption did not affect endometrial phospholipase C activity on days 11 and 16 of pregnancy but decreased (p < 0.05) basal endometrial prostaglandin F2α production on day 16. However, ethanol consumption did not decrease the number of conceptuses on day 11 or conceptus DNA content on days 11 or 16. In experiment 4, ethanol consumption decreased (p < 0.05) fetal survival rate to 58% versus 85% in dextrose‐fed controls on day 35 of pregnancy. For viable conceptuses, ethanol consumption reduced (p < 0.01) fetal weight, fetal crown‐rump length, placental weight and volume of placental (chorio‐allantoic + amniotic) fluid.Conclusion: These results indicate that chronic ethanol consumption may impair conceptus health directly or indirectly through actions upon the endometrium. Thus, the pig may be a valuable experimental model for studies on the effects of maternal alcohol consumption on conceptus development.

Second generation effects of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy in rats

1. 1. Previous studies have shown that when female rats are administered alcohol during pregnancy there are adverse effects on their progeny, including decreased birth weight and delayed neuromotor development. Evidence from several sources suggests alcohol exposure may contribute to cytogenetic abnormalities, suggesting the possibility of cross generational effects from prenatal exposure. 2. 2. On day 1 of gestation female rats were randomly allocated to the Alcohol group, which received a liquid diet containing 5% (v/v) ethanol solution until parturition, the Sucrose control group, which received an identical diet, except that sucrose had been isocalorically substituted for ethanol, or the Chow control, which received standard laboratory chow. 3. 3. When the offspring of these rats reached adulthood they were mated with drug-free rats and the development of their offspring was monitored. 4. 4. In comparison with female pups whose sires had been exposed to alcohol in utero, the weight of pups descended from fetally-exposed dams increased more slowly from day 1 to day 7. 5. 5. At five days of age, significant differences favouring the two control groups were found in latency to right for pups descended from fetally-exposed dams. 6. 6. These data suggest that the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol are more pervasive than previously thought and affect female pups to a greater extent than males.

Effects of Maternal Alcohol Consumption on the Allometric Growth of Muscles in Fetal and Neonatal Rats

The effect of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy as well as the neonatal period on allometric growth of skeletal muscles of fore and himdlimbs was studied in 252 rats (126 males and 126 females). At the inception of the study the dams of alcohol-exposed groups received 10% ethanol (v/v) in water for 2 weeks and 20% ethanol (v/v) for another 3 weeks. They were then bred overnight by introducing 1 male per 4 females into the cage. Following diagnosis of pregnancy, the two alcohol-exposed groups received 30% ethanol (v/v) till delivery. Neonatally the pre- and postnatal alcohol-exposed group continued to receive alcohol till weaning at 21 days of age. The offspring randomly selected (7 males and 7 females) from each group were killed at 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 14 weeks of age. The body weights, muscle weights and percentage of body weights contributed by each muscle were significantly smaller in the offspring of the alcohol-exposed groups as compared to the controls. These parameters were significantly higher in the group exposed to alcohol only prenatally as compared to those exposed both pre- and postnatally up to the 7th week of age, and thereafter were similar in the subsequent weeks. Although the alcohol-exposed groups grew faster than the controls from 9 to 14 weeks of age, they were, however, not able to catch up. This demonstrated that allometric growth of muscles of fetal and neonatal rats was adversely affected by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy and neonatally.

Short-Term Effects of Maternal Alcohol Consumption on Lactational Performance

Short-Term Effects of Maternal Alcohol Consumption on Lactational Performance

Short-term effects of maternal alcohol consumption on lactational performance.

Previous research demonstrated that breast-feeding infants consumed significantly less milk during the immediate hours after their mothers consumed an acute dose of alcohol when compared with a nonalcoholic beverage. The present study tested the hypothesis that maternal alcohol consumption decreases the amount of milk available to the infant and alters milk composition in the short term. To this aim, 22 lactating women were tested on 2 days separated by 1 week; the women reported that they drank very little during pregnancy, but significantly increased alcohol intake during lactation. Each woman drank a 0.3 g/kg dose of alcohol in orange juice on one testing day and orange juice alone on the other; the order was counterbalanced. Immediately before drinking the beverage (baseline) and 2 hr after (postconsumption), women expressed their milk by using an electric breast pump until no milk had been secreted from either breast for 5 min. Although there was no difference in the energy content of the milk, maternal alcohol consumption slightly, but significantly, reduced the amount of milk produced by the lactating mother. These findings underscore the importance of determining whether and when infants compensate for the reductions in intake experienced at the breast following maternal alcohol consumption and how such changes impact on mother-infant interaction.

The Effects of Maternal Alcohol Consumption and Cigarette Smoking during Pregnancy on Acoustic Cry Analysis

The Effects of Maternal Alcohol Consumption and Cigarette Smoking during Pregnancy on Acoustic Cry Analysis

The Effects of Maternal Alcohol Consumption and Cigarette Smoking during Pregnancy on Acoustic Cry Analysis

During the last trimester of pregnancy, 127 primiparous Irish mothers were interviewed to ascertain their history of alcohol and tobacco use. Confounding effects due to other drugs were not a factor in this sample. Mothers consumed an average of .21 ounces absolute alcohol (AA) per day, with 62% classified as moderate drinkers, 10.6% as heavy drinkers, and 26% as nondrinkers. Neurobehavioral status was measured using acoustic characteristics of the infant's cry, collected on the third day of life. Multiple regression analysis showed that more ounces AA per day was related to more dysphonation and higher first formant, while more cigarette smoking was related to higher pitch, higher second formant, and more variability in the second formant. Analysis of variance comparisons of these 3 alcohol groups demonstrated significant cry effects on infants of heavy drinking mothers.

Children with alcohol misusing parents.

Children of alcohol abusing parents (COAs) now receive more attention in their own right but data from methodologically sound studies is still thin. Genetic vulnerability increases risk of comorbidity for other psychiatric disorders and cognitive deficits as well as substance abuse. Neuropsychological effects of maternal alcohol consumption in pregnancy are more common than previously thought and paternal alcohol abuse may contribute to fetal damage. Family functioning is severely affected and COAs are at risk for child abuse though the strength of the association needs clarifying. Family drinking patterns are associated with teenage alcohol abuse and early induction increases the risk of addiction. COAs have raised morbidity rates for emotional and behavioural disturbance with impact on the developing child and separate prognostic significance for future adult morbidity other than alcoholism. Ethical considerations arise about the welfare of children cared for by alcohol abusing parents.

Protective effect of Liv.52 on alcohol-induced fetotoxicity.

The adverse effects of maternal alcohol consumption on the development of the fetus are well known. The adverse effects of ethanol on the liver are now believed to be due to acetaldehyde formed as an intermediate metabolite of ethanol. Liv.52 has been shown to bring about faster elimination of acetaldehyde from the body and thus prevent alcoholic liver damage. Other toxic effects of alcohol may also be due to acetaldehyde and may be prevented by Liv.52. In this study, rats were given 20% (v/v) ethanol in drinking water, during the gestation period, and the effect on maternal body weight and fetal outcome was noted. The protective effect of Liv.52 administration during the gestation period was studied. The results show that ethanol ingestion caused a decrease in gestational weight gain, total fetal weight, and number of live fetuses. There were increases in resorptions. Liv.52 administration reduced the deleterious effects of ethanol. The concentration of acetaldehyde in the amniotic fluid of ethanol-consuming animals was 0.727 microgram/ml. Liv.52 administration lowered it to 0.244 microgram/ml. The protective effect of Liv.52 could be due to the rapid elimination of acetaldehyde.

Effects of maternal alcohol consumption on milk and blood lymphocytes and IgG antibody levels from Trichinella spiralis-infected rats.

Immunity to the intestinal parasite Trichinella spiralis can be transferred from the mother to the neonate during lactation. Previous studies in our laboratory showed that the passage of immunity to pups from ethanol-treated dams was depressed. This study examined the effect of ethanol consumption during pregnancy and lactation on the T. spiralis-associated immune components in milk and blood. Groups of female rats were fed either ethanol-containing or isocaloric liquid diets for 30 days before T. spiralis infection, mated and maintained on corresponding diets through pregnancy and lactation. Two-color flow cytometric analysis was performed for lymphocyte populations, enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay for specific IgG, and radial immunodiffusion assay for total IgG. The percentage of total T cells and their subsets, T helper cells and T cytotoxic/suppressor cells in milk and those in blood were similar between pair-fed and ethanol-treated animals. However, the percentage of natural killer cells in milk from ethanol animals was significantly reduced compared with the pair-fed group (33% vs. 54%). The percentage of activated or memory type T helper cell subset (OX2-W3/25+) was significantly increased in the blood of the ethanol-treated group. Pair-fed animals showed higher T. spiralis-specific IgG antibody levels in both in milk and blood compared with ethanol-treated animals. In ethanol-treated animals, specific IgG levels and total IgG concentration in milk were significantly lower than those in blood, whereas in pair-fed animals, only total IgG concentration in milk was lower than that in blood. This study indicates that ethanol consumption during pregnancy and lactation alters the maternal immune system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

ALCOHOL EXPOSURE AND UNDERNUTRITION: EFFECTS ON LIPID METABOLISM AND ALCOHOL PARTITIONING IN RAT BRAIN REGIONS <italic>IN VITRO</italic>

The effects of maternal alcohol consumption and undernutrition on lipid metabolism and alcohol partitioning in brain cortical and stem slices of pups were studied under in vitro conditions. Alcohol administration along with a normal diet during gestation and lactation resulted in an increase in the synthesis of cholesterol in cortical and stem slices associated with decreased entry of alcohol. Phospholipid metabolism was not affected in the cortex, whereas the incorporation of [32P] was found to be altered in the brain stem, indicating regional differences with respect to alcohol effects. Undernutrition induced by feeding the mothers a low protein diet, on the other hand, decreased the incorporation of labelled precursors into lipids in cortex and stem. The changes in lipid metabolism observed in the high protein alcohol pups were not evident in the brain regions of undernourished pups exposed to alcohol and the partitioning of alcohol was not altered.

Fetal alcohol syndrome: A review of the disorder

The adverse effects of maternal alcohol consumption have been noted throughout history. When not resulting in the death of the fetus, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is characterized by growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, and central nervous system dysfunctions. Both direct and indirect teratogenic effects of alcohol are discussed. Also, the type and severity of alcohol's impact on the fetus are viewed in relation to critical periods during the gestational process. Finally, the severity of maternal alcoholism is related to the severity of damage suffered by the fetus. FAS is seen as the consequence of persistent toxic levels of alcohol throughout the gestational period. Several preventative measures are briefly discussed.

Maternal Alcohol Use During Breast-Feeding and Infant Mental and Motor Development at One Year

The effects of maternal alcohol consumption on fetal neurologic development, growth and physical development have been widely documented. The effects of further alcohol exposure in breast milk are not understood, but generally believed not to be significant.

Confounding variables in studying the effects of maternal alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy.

to investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption and pregnancy outcome. prospective randomised cohort survey with follow up sample stratified on level of alcohol intake. antenatal clinic of large maternity hospital in Western Australia. 2002 randomly selected pregnant women recruited over 3 year period for questionnaire survey (58% in 1st trimester, 33% in 2nd trimester, 8% in third trimester at recruitment). Only 19 refused participation. Stratified subsample of 665 women followed up, of whom 60 had miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. Subsample was selected on basis of prepregnancy alcohol consumption. INVESTIGATIONS AND MAIN RESULTS: All 2002 women completed a comprehensive questionnaire on demographic, lifestyle, health (including diet) and obstetric factors. The stratified subsample was followed through pregnancy and data were collected on obstetric course and infant outcome. Results showed that beer, wine and spirits drinkers differed significantly in maternal characteristics, nutrition and other important variables such as smoking. Women with stillbirths or miscarriages drank more beer than those with live births, though total levels of alcohol intake did not differ. Beer drinkers were less likely to reduce their consumption in pregnancy than other drinkers if they also smoked more than 20 cigarettes per day. Studies of effects of maternal drinking must include extensive information on the variables examined in this study or conclusions relating to maternal drinking in pregnancy are likely to be invalid.

Maternal alcohol consumption and stress responsiveness in offspring.

It is now generally acknowledged that pre- and/or postnatal environmental factors, such as stress and drugs, can exert long-lasting neurobehavioral effects in the individual. These factors may influence the development of central regulatory systems by acting directly on the fetal brain or indirectly through changes in the internal environment of the mother and fetus. The Fetal Alcohol Syndrome which has been recognized as a clinical entity for the past 15 years (1) is a case in point. Adverse effects of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy on growth and development of the offspring have been well documented in humans and laboratory animals (2). Mental retardation and behavioral deficits, such as hyperactivity, jitteriness, irritability and marked attentional and learning problems, are consistently observed in children who were exposed to alcohol in utero (3).

Alcohol and Reproductive Function

This article reviews the effects of alcohol on male and female gonads and hormonal levels; it further discusses the use of ethanol during pregnancy and its teratogenic effect on the fetus. Impotence is a common result of acute alcoholism and testicular atrophy infertility and decreased libido are associated with alcoholism 70-80% of the time. In addition alcohol consumption produces significant spermatozoal morphological changes involving breakage of the sperm head distention of the midsection and curling of its tail. Seminiferous tubules are filled mostly with spermatids that undergo degeneration and result in aspermia. Acute ethanol intoxication is accompanied by decreased plasma testosterone levels and a surge of luteinizing hormone. Ethanol appears to have a dual effect: locally on the gonads and centrally on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis causing an adverse effect on spermatogenesis. Less is known about the effects of alcohol on the female reproductive function; however inhibition of ovulation and a significant reduction of plasma estradiol and progesterone levels has been noted in rats following ethanol administration. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is the most frequent known teratogenic cause of mental retardation. Infants most severely affected by maternal alcohol abuse during gestation possess a number of dysmorphic anomalies termed fetal alcohol syndrome. The abnormalities most typically associated with alcohol teratogenicity can be grouped into 4 categories: growth deficiencies central nervous system dysfunctions craniofacial abnormalities and other major and minor malformations. The effects of maternal alcohol consumption on the fetus are independent of maternal nutritional status and smoking history. Alcohol abuse during pregnancy occurs in 2-13% of US women and these women have a 50-70% chance of delivering an infant with a serious abnormality.

Effects of alcohol diet from the fetal period on lipid metabolism in rats.

The effects of maternal alcohol consumption on lipid metabolism in the litter liver were examined in the rat. Rats reared from their fetal period to adulthood with liquid alcohol diet (fetal alcohol group) did not show any lipid accumulation in the livers. Liver perfusion experiments showed an increased oxygen consumption in the liver to a load of physiological concentration of palmitate. On the contrary, the response of oxygen consumption in fetal control rat livers (reared with non-alcohol liquid diet) to palmitate was found to be depressed. 14CO2 production rate from 14C-palmitate in perfused livers showed a significant increase in fetal alcohol group as compared with controls. No difference in 14C-palmitate incorporation into tissue lipid was found between fetal alcohol and fetal control groups. These data indicate that when rats are treated with alcohol from fetal period they acquire an ability to elevate FFA oxidation in the liver through metabolic adaptation.

Ultrastructure of Human Placenta: Effects of Maternal Drinking

The effects of maternal alcohol consumption upon the fetus during gestation have been well documented in the literature. The data in such studies are primarily based on gross morphological evaluations of the fetus and the placenta. The placenta is an organ specially formed during gestation to exchange metabolites between mother and fetus. Although it functions by selectively transporting certain materials from the maternal blood, it is freely permeable to other substances such as alcohol. In this investigation, we have studied the effects of maternal alcohol consumption on the ultrastructure of the human placenta by TEM and SEM.Placentae from four women who admitted to consuming copious amounts of alcoholic beverages and four controls were used in this study. Villous tissue from centrally located cotyledons of freshly delivered placentae were fixed in 3% gluteraldehyde in 0.1M cacodylate buffer pH 7.3.Samples for SEM were processed by OTOTO3 technic, dehydrated and critical point dried with CO2. Samples for TEM were post-fixed in Osmium ferro- cyanide (1:1 mixture of 1.5% aqueous OsO4 and 2.5% K4Fe(CN)6).

Effects of Maternal Alcohol Consumption on Offspring: Review, Critical Assessment, and Future Directions

Effects of Maternal Alcohol Consumption on Offspring: Review, Critical Assessment, and Future Directions