title: Effects of ethanol administered during pregnancy and lactation on the offspring survival, growth and exploratory behavior.
abstract: The survival (mortality rate), growth (body weight) and exploratory behavior (open field test) of the offspring of Wistar rats, treated with ethanol, were studied. Ethanol at a dose of 9 g/kg/day was applied as 6% aqueous solution (v/v). One group of rats received ethanol (E) during pregnancy and lactation (E + E), in another group E was substituted by water (W) during lactation (E + W) and a third group of rats received E only during lactation (W + E). The mortality rate in the offspring of the E + E and E + W groups of dams was significantly increased. The body growth of the offspring of the E + E group was significantly delayed as compared to controls. Inhibited exploratory activity, impaired habituation capacity and disturbed emotional balance were found in the 9-week old offspring of the E + W, W + E and E + E groups of dams respectively. It is suggested that pre- and/or postnatal ethanol received even at low concentrations with drinking water leads to long-lasting CNS disturbances characteristic of the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Pharmacology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vaglenova
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Petkov
mesh_terms: D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth / Q000187:drug effects*; D007774:Lactation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol