title: Brief prenatal ethanol exposure alters behavioral sensitivity to the kappa opioid receptor agonist (U62,066E) and antagonist (Nor-BNI) and reduces kappa opioid receptor expression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Approximately 10 to 15% of women consume alcohol (ethanol [EtOH]) during pregnancy in the United States. Even low amounts of EtOH consumption during pregnancy can elicit long-term consequences. Prenatal experience with as few as 3 drinks has been associated with increase problem drinking in adulthood. Such effects are corroborated in rodents; however, the underlying neural adaptations contributing to this effect are not clear. In the current set of experiments, we investigated whether changes in EtOH responding following prenatal EtOH exposure involved kappa opioid receptor activation and expression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sprague-Dawley rats were prenatally exposed to low levels of alcohol (1.0 g/kg) during late gestation (gestational days 17 to 20 [GD17-20]) via intragastric intubation of pregnant dams. Following birth, EtOH intake, kappa- and mu-opioid-induced place conditioning, and kappa opioid receptor expression in mesolimbic brain regions were assessed in infant rats (postnatal days 14 to 15 [PD14-15]) that were offspring of dams given EtOH, vehicle, or untreated, during pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Animals exposed to prenatal alcohol drank more alcohol later in life and exhibited significant changes in the kappa opioid system. While control subjects found kappa opioid activation aversive, animals exposed to EtOH prenatally exhibited either no aversion or appetitive responding. Further analysis revealed that synaptosomal kappa opioid receptor expression was significantly decreased in brain areas implicated in responding to EtOH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, these data suggest that prenatal EtOH affects kappa opioid function and expression and that these changes may be involved in increased drinking later in life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology , Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton, New York.
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Nizhnikov
authors.forename: Ricardo M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Pautassi
authors.forename: Jenna M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: Justine D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Landin
authors.forename: Elena I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Varlinskaya
authors.forename: Kelly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Bordner
authors.forename: David F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: Norman E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Spear
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011759:Pyrrolidines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa / Q000819:agonists* / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D011759:Pyrrolidines; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa; C051844:norbinaltorphimine; D000431:Ethanol; D009271:Naltrexone; C051272:spiradoline
keywords: Ethanol; Infant; Kappa; Opioid; Rats