Cooper J D, Rudeen P K
Department of Anatomy, University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine 65212.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1988 Apr;12(2):282-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1988.tb00195.x.
Fetal ethanol exposure is known to produce CNS abnormalities. The molecular basis for these manifestations observed in animals exposed to ethanol in utero may be explained by changes in regional catecholamine content and turnover. This study was designed to determine changes in catecholamine content and turnover in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, medial basal hypothalamus, diencephalon, and septal area of male rats exposed to ethanol pre- and postnatally. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to either an ad libitum liquid diet containing 35% ethanol-derived calories, an isocalorically matched liquid diet, or a diet consisting of laboratory chow and water. Regional alterations in catecholamine content and turnover in each of the brain areas were observed on postnatal Day 18. A regional variability was demonstrated in the effect of in utero ethanol exposure on catecholamine content and turnover. The most dramatic effect was found in the dopaminergic neurons of the medial basal hypothalamus where in utero ethanol exposed offspring had a significantly reduced DA content and turnover when compared to pups from both isocalorically matched and chow-fed dams. These data indicate that the dopaminergic neurons of this particular brain region are susceptible to alteration by ethanol exposure during development and that this alteration cannot be explained by changes in nutrition alone.
已知胎儿接触乙醇会导致中枢神经系统异常。在子宫内接触乙醇的动物身上观察到的这些表现的分子基础，可能可以通过区域儿茶酚胺含量和周转率的变化来解释。本研究旨在确定产前和产后接触乙醇的雄性大鼠大脑皮层、小脑、内侧基底下丘脑、间脑和隔区中儿茶酚胺含量和周转率的变化。将怀孕的斯普拉格-道利大鼠暴露于含有35%乙醇热量的随意液体饮食、等热量匹配的液体饮食或由实验室饲料和水组成的饮食中。在出生后第18天观察每个脑区儿茶酚胺含量和周转率的区域变化。子宫内乙醇暴露对儿茶酚胺含量和周转率的影响存在区域差异。最显著的影响出现在内侧基底下丘脑的多巴胺能神经元中，与来自等热量匹配和正常饮食喂养母鼠的幼崽相比，子宫内接触乙醇的后代的多巴胺含量和周转率显著降低。这些数据表明，这个特定脑区的多巴胺能神经元在发育过程中易受乙醇暴露的影响，而且这种影响不能仅用营养变化来解释。
