Alcohol intake during prenatal life affects neuroimmune mediators and brain neurogenesis
Aloe, L.
Annali Dell'istituto Superiore di Sanita 42(1): 17-21
2006
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-2571 PMID: 16801721 Document Number: 596895
Several lines of evidence suggest that alcohol exposure during prenatal gestation or during early postnatal life may be a risk factor for the manifestation of neurological and for immune-related disorders in later life. The cellular, biochemical and molecular mechanisms of ethanol toxicity, however, have not been yet clearly established. Recent studies indicated that neurotrophin signalling pathways may be involved in ethanol-mediated cell death. The present study investigated whether the nerve growth factor (NGF), which is the first and best characterized member of the neurotrophin family, and the NGF-target cells are affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol. Adult pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the study. The expression of NGF in the hippocampus and the activity of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in septal neurons after prenatal ethanol exposure were determined. The results showed that prenatal ethanol exposure reduced the basal level of NGF in the hippocampus, the NGF receptor immunoreactivity in septal cholinergic neurons, and the presence of ChAT activity in the septum. The possible link between such changes and the hypothesis that these alterations may contribute to certain neuropathology observed following alcohol exposure are discussed.