The effect of ethanol upon early development in mice and rats. III. In vivo effect of acute ethanol intoxication upon implantation and early postimplantation stages in mice.
Female albino mice (RAP strain) were injected intravenously with absolute alcohol diluted aa by a.d., on days 2, 3 and 4 of pregnancy respectively. Macroscopically pregnant and empty uteri were controlled by microscopic examination. The developmental rate of postimplantation embryos was controlled by a previously reported biometrical method. The acute ethanol intoxication did not influence the postimplantation developmental rate (except for the appearance and development of the allantoic bud). In some of the uteri of the treated females (mainly of those treated on day 4), free blastocysts were found in the uterine lumen on day 9 of pregnancy, supposedly due to the deleterious effect of ethanol intoxication on central and local factors of implantation. Regressive changes of the decidua and consecutive embryonic death found in two litters may be caused by the same deleterious effect or (and) by inflammatory changes present in the endometrium of some control and treated females. The acute ethanol intoxication lowered the mean litter size in all the experimental groups.
D000818:Animals; D003656:Decidua / Q000473:pathology; D010064:Embryo Implantation / Q000187:drug effects*; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005327:Fetal Resorption / Q000139:chemically induced; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008098:Litter Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D014599:Uterus / Q000473:pathology
D000431:Ethanol