title: Effects of prenatal alcohol and pair feeding on lipopolysaccharide-induced secretion of TNF-alpha and corticosterone.
abstract: Fetal alcohol exposure (FAE) produces profound alterations in immunological and neuroendocrine functions. The present study examined the effects of FAE on the secretion of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and corticosterone following administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in normal (N) adult rats, in adult offspring of dams fed a liquid diet supplemented with ethanol (E), and in pair-fed control offspring (P). LPS-induced TNF-alpha secretion was not affected by either gender or prenatal treatment. In contrast, LPS-induced corticosterone secretion was significantly greater in female than in male rats, and at 60-min post-LPS was significantly higher in E and P, compared to N females. Ovariectomy significantly inhibited LPS-induced TNF-alpha secretion in E, but not in P and N, rats and chronic replacement with 17-beta-estradiol markedly inhibited TNF-alpha secretion in ovariectomized E and N, but not in P, rats. In contrast, ovariectomy reduced the effects of LPS on corticosterone secretion in all groups, and chronic replacement with 17-beta-estradiol reversed this effect. These findings indicate that LPS-induced secretion of corticosterone, but not TNF-alpha, is affected by prenatal manipulations and by gender. In addition, alterations in the hormonal environment in females modulate LPS-induced corticosterone secretion in all prenatal treatment groups, but differentially influence TNF-alpha secretion in rats exposed to alcohol, restricted feeding, or normal diets in utero.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yirmiya
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiappelli
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Tio
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Tritt
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012016:Reference Values; D013997:Time Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000431:Ethanol; D004958:Estradiol; D003345:Corticosterone