Effects of Lifelong Ethanol Consumption on Rat Sympathetic Neurons

In this experiment we studied the effects of aging and lifelong ethanol consumption on rat peripheral sympathetic neurons. The aim was to find out the possible differences in the vulnerability to ethanol-induced neuronal degeneration between rats of both genders, or between the alcohol-avoiding (ANA...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.) N.Y.), 1999-02, Vol.17 (2), p.113-118
Main Authors: Riikonen, Jarno, Jaatinen, Pia, Sarviharju, Maija, Kiianmaa, Kalervo, Hervonen, Antti
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Cell Count
Ethanol
Ethanol - administration & dosage
Ethanol - adverse effects
Female
Ganglia, Sympathetic - cytology
Ganglia, Sympathetic - drug effects
Lipid Metabolism
Lipids
Lipopigment
Male
Medical sciences
Nerve Degeneration
Neuron number
Neurons - cytology
Neurons - drug effects
Neurons - metabolism
Pigments, Biological - metabolism
Rats
Sympathetic ganglia
Toxicology
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Summary:In this experiment we studied the effects of aging and lifelong ethanol consumption on rat peripheral sympathetic neurons. The aim was to find out the possible differences in the vulnerability to ethanol-induced neuronal degeneration between rats of both genders, or between the alcohol-avoiding (ANA) and the alcohol-preferring (AA) lines of rat. The superior cervical ganglia (SCG) of 40 male and 41 female AA and ANA rats were analyzed. The ethanol-exposed groups had 12% ethanol as the only available fluid from 3 to 24 months of age. The young (3 months) and old (24 months) control groups had water instead. SCG neuronal density, volume, and total neuron number were measured by unbiased morphometric methods. No gender difference was seen in either the volume of the SCG or in the SCG neuron number. The volume of the ganglion was significantly increased with age, but the total neuron number did not change. Neuronal density was significantly decreased with age, but lifelong ethanol consumption induced no further decrease. SCG neuron number in the ethanol-exposed groups did not differ from the age-matched or young control groups, but a significant negative correlation ( r = −0.70, p
ISSN:0741-8329
1873-6823
DOI:10.1016/S0741-8329(98)00041-X