Histomorphometric analysis of the epiphyseal growth plate in rats after prenatal alcohol exposure.
We studied the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on growth in the proximal tibial growth plate in 0- and 15-day-old rats, using histomorphometric methods. Body weight and tibial length were reduced in all alcohol-exposed rats. In 15-day-old rats, these parameters were lower than in the 15-day-old controls, thus showing a persistence of the effects of ethanol. The proximal tibial growth plate showed alterations, principally in 15-day-old rats. The most notable of these was a decrease in growth plate height produced by a significant reduction in hypertrophic zone height. Likewise, there were fewer cells in this zone in alcohol-exposed rats than in controls. This work shows that prenatal ethanol exposure induces growth retardation which may be due to growth plate alterations that might reflect impaired cell function.
Miralles-Flores
C
C
Laboratory of Experimental Microsurgery, Hospital La Paz, Madrid, Spain.
Delgado-Baeza
E
E
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced; D006132:Growth Plate / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D006984:Hypertrophy; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013977:Tibia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors
D000431:Ethanol