Ethanol intake during lactation: I. Effects on dams' metabolism and pups' body weight gain

• Published in: Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2000-07, Vol.21 (3), p.195-200
• Main Authors: Oyama, L.M, Couto, R.C, Couto, G.E.C, Dâmaso, A.R, Oller do Nascimento, C.M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcohol; Alcohol Drinking - metabolism; Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning; Animals; Animals, Newborn; ATP-citrate lyase; Biological and medical sciences; Central Nervous System Depressants - administration & dosage; Eating - drug effects; Embryology: invertebrates and vertebrates. Teratology; Ethanol - administration & dosage; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Lactation; Lactation - metabolism; Lipogenesis; Liver; Malic enzyme; Mammary gland; Medical sciences; Pregnancy; Rat; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Teratology. Teratogens; Toxicology; Weight Gain - drug effects
• ISSN: 0741-8329; 1873-6823
• DOI: 10.1016/S0741-8329(00)00073-2

Wistar lactating rats (8 pups per dam) had free access to either tap water (control group, C) or one of three concentrations of ethanol (E) in the drinking water: 5% (E5), 10% (E10), and 20% (E20). All animals received normal rat chow ad libitum and were killed on day 12 of lactation. Intake of both 10% and 20% ethanol solutions decreased food intake, dams' body weight, and pups' body weight gain as compared with findings in the C group. The relative weights (g/100g b.w.) of the mammary glands (MG) and of the parametrial white adipose tissue depot were decreased only in E20 as compared with findings in the C group. Protein and lipid content of these tissues were not altered in any of the ethanol groups. In comparison with the C group, the lipogenesis rate was increased in the MG (135.6%) and liver (120.2%) in E5 and the MG (58.1%) and parametrial white adipose tissue depot (147.0%) in E20. No modifications in lipogenesis rate were noted in E10. The malic enzyme activity was decreased in the MG in E10 (25.3%) and E20 (26.4%) and in the liver in E20 (45.7%). In E5, however, it was increased in the liver (23.9%). The activity of ATP-citrate lyase in the liver was decreased in E20 (56.7%), while it was increased by 37.5% in E5 and 34.2% in E10. Blood glucose concentration of dams was not affected by ethanol ingestion. However, plasma triacylglycerol concentration was higher in E10 (17.9%) and E20 (13.3%) than in the C group, and plasma protein was lower in E20 (15.7%) than in C. We concluded that alcohol intake during lactation increased the MG lipogenesis rate; although at the highest dose, this metabolic alteration was not enough to allow normal pups' growth. However, the low dose of ethanol (5%), despite having altered dams' metabolism, did not affect pups' body weight gain.