title: Pre- and postnatal exposure to moderate levels of ethanol can have long-lasting effects on hippocampal glutamate uptake in adolescent offspring.
abstract: The developing brain is vulnerable to the effects of ethanol. Glutamate is the main mediator of excitatory signals in the brain and is probably involved in most aspects of normal brain function during development. The aim of this study was to investigate vulnerability to and the impact of ethanol toxicity on glutamate uptake signaling in adolescent rats after moderate pre and postnatal ethanol exposure. Pregnant female rats were divided into three groups and treated only with water (control), non-alcoholic beer (vehicle) or 10% (v/v) beer solution (moderate prenatal alcohol exposure-MPAE). Thirty days after birth, adolescent male offspring were submitted to hippocampal acute slice procedure. We assayed glutamate uptake and measured glutathione content and also quantified glial glutamate transporters (EAAT 1 and EAAT 2). The glutamate system vulnerability was tested with different acute ethanol doses in naïve rats and compared with the MPAE group. We also performed a (lipopolysaccharide-challenge (LPS-challenge) with all groups to test the glutamate uptake response after an insult. The MPAE group presented a decrease in glutamate uptake corroborating a decrease in glutathione (GSH) content. The reduction in GSH content suggests oxidative damage after acute ethanol exposure. The glial glutamate transporters were also altered after prenatal ethanol treatment, suggesting a disturbance in glutamate signaling. This study indicates that impairment of glutamate uptake can be dose-dependent and the glutamate system has a higher vulnerability to ethanol toxicity after moderate ethanol exposure In utero. The effects of pre- and postnatal ethanol exposure can have long-lasting impacts on the glutamate system in adolescence and potentially into adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Basic Science Health Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS-Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Giovana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brolese
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry-Basic Science Health Institute-Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS-Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lunardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry-Basic Science Health Institute-Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS-Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniela F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Basic Science Health Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS-Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry-Basic Science Health Institute-Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS-Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marina C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Basic Science Health Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS-Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Department of Biochemistry-Basic Science Health Institute-Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS-Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos-Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005978:Glutathione