Prenatal loss in the rat following moderate consumption of alcohol incorporated in a liquid diet.

The teratogenic potential of alcohol in humans has now been confirmed, and a characteristic pattern of anomalies (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) is found in infants born to mothers who are chronic alcoholics. The pathogenesis of the fetal alcohol syndrome is unclear: very little is known about the way alcohol acts during pregnancy and alters fetal growth and morphogenesis. The objective of this investigation was to determine the effects of a widely used ethanol liquid diet in the pregnant rat. The ethanol liquid test diet is based on the Lieber-De Carli formula. 20 Sprague-Dawley rats were matched closely by weights and assigned in pairs to either an alcohol treated or a pair-fed control group. Control animals received the same amount of the liquid diet with maltose-dextrins substituted isocalorically for the ethanol. Graduated tubes were used for the oral delivery of the diets. Ethanol was gradually introduced into the diet as follows: 100 Kcal/l, days 1-2; 200 Kcal/l, days 3-5; 350 Kcal/l, days 6-12. Following this initial treatment period, all animals were then given rodent pellets and tap water ad libitum. The mothers showed no overt signs of gross toxicity. The mean maternal weight gain of the ethanol treated animals did not differ significantly from the controls. The incidence of fetal resorptions was increased, intrauterine growth was not affected and the offspring at term appeared normal. The results indicate that moderate alcohol consumption during early gestation in the rat led to significant prenatal loss but proved to be non-teratogenic.