Alcohol-related birth defects in long- and short-sleep mice: postnatal litter mortality.
Alcohol sensitivity may influence the severity of alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD). To examine this hypothesis, pregnancy outcome and offspring development were examined in alcohol-sensitive Long-Sleep (LS) mice and alcohol-resistant Short-Sleep (SS) mice following prenatal ethanol exposure. Dams were intragastrically intubated twice per day (6 hr apart) with either 4.5 g/kg (20% w/v) ethanol (E) or an isocaloric amount of sucrose (S) on days 7 through 18 of pregnancy. An untreated control group (C) was maintained for each line. Results showed litter mortality at 10 days of age was greater for LS-E litters compared to both LS-S and LS-C litters. Litter mortality for SS-E litters did not differ from either SS-S or SS-C litters. Maternal weight gain, blood ethanol levels, and birth weight deficits were similar for ethanol-exposed LS and SS groups. These results suggest genetically based alcohol sensitivity influences the severity of ARBD.
Gilliam
D M
DM
Department of Psychology, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley 80639.
Kotch
L E
LE
D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced; D000818:Animals; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects*; D008098:Litter Size / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009026:Mortality; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012890:Sleep
D000431:Ethanol