Perinatal undernutrition alters different pharmacological effects of ethanol in adult recovered rats.

Different effects of ethanol were assayed in adult rats submitted to a protein deprivation schedule at perinatal age. Hypothermic and hypnotic responses were higher than normal in experimental rats, while the anticonflict effect of ethanol was lower in deprived animals. No differences were detected in the ethanol clearance rate between control and undernourished rats. These results stressed that the deleterious effects of early undernutrition persist in adult recovered animals and induce an altered reactivity to different pharmacological treatments.