Blood alcohol concentration: a critical factor for producing fetal alcohol effects.
A dose of 6.6 g/kg of alcohol, delivered in 12 equally-spaced fractions each 24 hours via an artificial rearing procedure during postnatal days 4-10, produced mean blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) that were low (46.6 mg/dl), but stable with time. This relatively constant alcohol exposure did not limit brain growth in neonatal rats when measured on postnatal day 10. The same daily dose concentrated into 6 fractions over 12 hours (with 6 alcohol-free fractions the remaining 12 hours) resulted in cyclic BACs having high peaks (270.2 mg/dl). The cyclic regimen produced a significant reduction in brain growth. Thus, the peak blood alcohol concentration is a critical factor in determining the minimum dose for producing microencephaly and must be considered when estimating the relative teratogenic risks of alcohol intake during pregnancy.
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000254:growth & development; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000097:blood; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D000431:Ethanol