Turmeric Extract Rescues Ethanol‐Induced Developmental Defect in the Zebrafish Model for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

Prenatal ethanol exposure causes the most frequent preventable birth disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The effect of turmeric extracts in rescuing an ethanol‐induced developmental defect using zebrafish as a model was determined. Ethanol‐induced oxidative stress is one of the major mechanisms underlying FASD. We hypothesize that antioxidant inducing properties of turmeric may alleviate ethanol‐induced defects. Curcuminoid content of the turmeric powder extract (5 mg/mL turmeric in ethanol) was determined by UPLC and found to contain Curcumin (124.1 ± 0.2 μg/mL), Desmethoxycurcumin (43.4 ± 0.1 μg/mL), and Bisdemethoxycurcumin (36.6 ± 0.1 μg/mL). Zebrafish embryos were treated with 100 mM (0.6% v/v) ethanol during gastrulation through organogenesis (2 to 48 h postfertilization (hpf)) and supplemented with turmeric extract to obtain total curcuminoid concentrations of 0, 1.16, 1.72, or 2.32 μM. Turmeric supplementation showed significant rescue of the body length at 72 hpf compared to ethanol‐treated embryos. The mechanism underlying the rescue remains to be determined. Practical Application Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is an umbrella term describing a range of defects caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD prevalence ranges from 0.3% to 5% of the live born infants, and can be as high as 8.9% in low socioeconomic populations. These defects include mental retardation, learning and behavioral disabilities, and growth defects. Identifying the mechanism of the rescue effect of turmeric could lead to potential preventative treatments.