Alterations and recovery of rat brain gangliosides and glycosidases following long-term exposure to alcohol and rehabilitation during development.
The present study examines effects of continuous exposure to alcohol during gestation, lactation and postweaning periods and rehabilitation on gangliosides and their catabolizing enzymes in whole brain (WB), cerebrum (C), cerebellum (CB) and brain stem (BS) of 63-day-old rats. Continuous exposure to alcohol was found to cause significant deficits in the body and brain weights. On the other hand, the concentration of total ganglioside in whole brain, cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem showed an increase following exposure to alcohol. In agreement with the increased ganglioside concentration the activities of sialidase, beta-galactosidase, beta-glucosidase and beta-hexosaminidase, which are likely to be involved in the catabolism of gangliosides, showed reductions due to alcohol. Alcohol was also found to alter the proportions of individual gangliosides and the changes were found to be region-specific. However; the alcohol-induced alterations were reversed, at least to some extent, upon abstinence from alcohol. Body weights of control (CT), alcoholic (AC) and rehabilitated (AR) rats were 164 +/- 2, 107 +/- 7 and 139 +/- 3 (mean +/- S.E.M.), respectively. Decrease in tissue weight was significant in whole brain, cerebrum and brain stem but not in cerebellum. In AR rats significant deficits in tissue weights persisted in cerebrum and almost a complete recovery was observed in brain stem. On the other hand, the increase in the concentration of gangliosides in WB, C, CB and BS of AC rats amounted to 23, 19, 19 and 53% of controls, respectively. The corresponding values for the AR rats were 12, 14, 3 and 5%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, M.S. University of Baroda, India.
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Prasad
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000378:metabolism*; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013997:Time Factors
D005732:Gangliosides; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D000431:Ethanol; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases