title: Effects of alcohol on blastocyst implantation and fecundity in the rat.
abstract: The effects of alcohol on blastocyst implantation and fecundity were determined. Pregnant rats (insemination = day 1) received vehicle only (water), or alcohol (2 or 4 g/kg body weight) daily by feeding tube on days 1-4 and the time of implantation determined on day 5 or fecundity assessed on day 19. Implantation sites were rendered visible by the blue-reaction; fecundity was expressed as the ratio of live fetuses to total implantations. The time course of blastocyst implantation was advanced by alcohol (2 g/kg dose). At 1000 hr, 1.9 vs. 0.9 blastocysts had implanted in treated vs. controls. By 1200 hr, 66 vs. 17% of blastocysts had implanted and by 1500 hr 90 vs. 52% had implanted in the 2 g/kg dose group vs. controls. Blastocyst implantation was not consistently advanced by the 4 g/kg dose of alcohol. The total number of blastocysts ultimately implanting did not differ between groups (control: 7.0 +/- 0.9; 2 g: 7.3 +/- 0.9; 4 g: 7.1 +/- 0.5 sites/cornu at 1800 hr). Fecundity did not differ markedly between control and the 2 g/kg dose group (97 vs. 96%, respectively), but was reduced in the 4 g/kg dose group (58%). The results indicate that daily administration of alcohol (2 g/kg body weight) during the preimplantation period (days 1-4) advances the time course of blastocyst implantation without reducing fecundity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mitchell
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D010064:Embryo Implantation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol