Maternal alcohol intake induces dramatic ultrastructural changes in offspring brain cortex neurons

Abstract

The aim of the paper was to estimate consequences of alcohol consumption by rats during pregnancy on the brain frontal cortex 5th layer neurons ultrastructure in their offspring. Female Wistar rats consumed a 15% solution of ethanol as a single source of drinking (4.64 ± 2.19 g/kg/day) throughout pregnancy, control rats received aquivolume amount of water. The offspring were decapitated on the 45th day after birth and samples of frontal brain cortex were prepared for electron microscopy and histochemistry to examine the 5th layer neurons. Results: Antenatal alcohol exposure in rats at the 45th day after birth showed a significant reduction in the number of mitochondria per um2 of cytoplasm and the total length of their cristae, reduction of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) canal length and their clearance expansion, decrease in the bind ribosomes and increase in the free ribosomes number, expansion of the Golgi apparatus cisternae, increase in the lysosome number and size in the 5th layer frontal cortex pyramidal neurons. The histochemical examination revealed the inhibition of marker enzyme of mitochondria, NADH- dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenases as well as activation of marker enzyme of lysosomes, acid phosphatase in the cytoplasm of those neurons. Conclusion: Alcohol consumption by rats during pregnancy induces deep and long-term electron microscopic and histochemical changes in the brain cortex neurons in their offspring.