On Effects of Paternal Ethanol Treatment on Fetal Outcome

Abstract

To study the effects of paternal chronic low-dosage ethanol administration on fetal outcome, male Sprague-Dawley rats received either .6g/ kg ethanol (experimental group) or water (control group). Males were mated between the fourth and seventh weeks of treatment. Pregnancies were terminated on gestational Day 21. Cerebral weight and placental weight in offspring of the ethanol-treated males were significantly larger than those of control males. There was no effect on litter size. Experimental females (dams that became pregnant when paired with an ethanol-treated male) were significantly heavier than control dams. Since these pairings were random at every mating, the experimental males appeared to have been more successful impregnating heavier than lighter females.

Paternal alcohol exposure in mice alters brain NGF and BDNF and increases ethanol-elicited preference in male offspring

“…) or soft tissue malformations (Randall et al . ) or any effect on brain or placental weight (Cake & Lenzer ).…”

Who's your daddy? Behavioral and epigenetic consequences of paternal drug exposure

“…Litters from alcohol‐exposed sires also exhibit increased (Emanuele et al, 2001b; Abel, 1995) or decreased male‐to‐female ratios (Abel, 1993). Yet, several groups find that these litter parameters are unaltered in rats (Bielawski et al, 2002; Bielawski and Abel, 1997; Abel, 1989b; Abel and Tan, 1988; Leichter, 1986; Cake and Lenzer, 1985) and mice (Finegersh and Homanics, 2014; Ceccanti et al, 2016; Abel and Lee, 1988; Randall et al, 1982). Alcohol‐sired offspring also display increased (Finegersh and Homanics, 2014; Emanuele et al, 2001a; Rompala et al, 2016), decreased (Mankes et al, 1982; Tanaka et al, 1982; Bielawski et al, 2002; Meek et al, 2007; Ceccanti et al, 2016; Rompala et al, 2017; Ledig et al, 1998), and no change (Abel, 1989a; Bielawski and Abel, 1997; Abel, 1993, 1989b; Abel and Tan, 1988; Leichter, 1986; Abel and Lee, 1988; Randall et al, 1982; Livy et al, 2004) in body weights at birth, weaning, or adulthood.…”

“…Paternal alcohol exposure results in several molecular and physiological abnormalities in offspring, such as alterations in organ weights, gonadal hormones, neurotransmitter and stress systems, and neurotrophic factors. Alcohol‐sired offspring display greater brain (Cake and Lenzer, 1985), thymus (Abel and Lee, 1988), and adrenal weights (Abel, 1993); while spleen weights are lower (Abel, 1993). Alcohol‐sired male offspring have lower testosterone levels (Abel, 1989a; Abel and Lee, 1988).…”