Department of Anatomy and Histology, School of Medicine, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, South Africa.
School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Parktown, South Africa.
Pan Afr Med J. 2023 Sep 25;46:35. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2023.46.35.37151. eCollection 2023.
intrauterine alcohol exposure has adverse health effects on the offspring, which may result in fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The neurological and craniofacial aspects have been well studied; however, long bones have received limited attention despite the short stature reported in FASD children.
time-mated (n=13) pregnant Sprague Dawley dams were assigned to either the ethanol (n=5), saline control (n=5) or untreated group (n=3) which received no treatment. The ethanol and saline control dams were treated with 0.015ml/g of 25.2% ethanol or 0.9% saline, respectively. Treatment was for the first 19 days of gestation. Two pups from each dam were used and terminated at 21 days of age. Paired tibiae were harvested. Each bone was scanned using a Nikon XTH 225L 3D-μCT to investigate trabeculae morphometry.
the ethanol group had less bone to total volume (BT/TV), thinnest trabeculae (TbTh) which were less spaced (TbSp) compared to the controls. However, number of trabecular (TbN) remained unaffected in all three groups. Tibial length was similar in all three groups; however, the distal metaphysis volume was smallest in the ethanol group. Logistic regression showed that the distal medullary canal area and trabecular separation were the main parameters affected the most in gestational alcohol. The negative correlation of trabecular thickness and spacing in the ethanol group may be a contributor to bone weakness.
gestational alcohol exposure affects bone internal morphology in addition to the bone size. Overall, this study supports the findings of clinical observation of small stature in FAS children.
宫内酒精暴露对后代健康有不良影响，可能导致胎儿酒精谱系障碍（FASD）。神经和颅面方面已经得到了很好的研究；然而，尽管 FASD 儿童存在身材矮小的报道，但长骨受到的关注有限。
时间匹配（n=13）的怀孕 Sprague Dawley 母鼠被分配到乙醇（n=5）、盐水对照（n=5）或未处理组（n=3），后者未接受任何治疗。乙醇和盐水对照组母鼠分别用 0.015ml/g 的 25.2%乙醇或 0.9%生理盐水处理。治疗时间为妊娠的前 19 天。每个母鼠取 2 只幼崽，在 21 天龄时处死。采集成对的胫骨。使用 Nikon XTH 225L 3D-μCT 对每个骨骼进行扫描，以研究骨小梁形态计量学。
与对照组相比，乙醇组的骨体积分数（BT/TV）较低，最薄的骨小梁（TbTh）较窄（TbSp）。然而，三组的骨小梁数量（TbN）均未受影响。三组胫骨长度相似；然而，乙醇组的远端干骺端体积最小。逻辑回归显示，在妊娠期酒精中，骨髓腔面积和骨小梁分离是受影响最大的主要参数。乙醇组骨小梁厚度和间距的负相关可能是导致骨强度降低的原因之一。
宫内酒精暴露除了影响骨大小外，还会影响骨内部形态。总的来说，这项研究支持了 FAS 儿童身材矮小的临床观察结果。
