Birth Outcomes and Neuroapoptotic Markers in the Neonatal Brain Are Affected by Maternal Diet Qualities in Rats Exposed to Ethanol During Gestation

Women drinking ethanol (EtOH) during pregnancy may have children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) that vary in the severity of symptoms. This may be attributable to maternal nutritional status. This study examined two different maternal diet qualities, chow vs. formulated energy dense (E-dense) diet, on birth outcomes and neuroapoptotic markers in the neonatal brain of rats exposed to EtOH during gestation. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups: chow (n = 6), chow + EtOH (n = 7) (20% v/v in drinking water), E-dense (n = 6), and E-dense + EtOH (n = 8). At postnatal day (PD) 7, representing brain growth spurt in rats, ceramides and caspase-3 activity (markers for apoptosis) in the cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus were measured using gas chromatography and a caspase-3 assay kit, respectively. Without EtOH exposure, dams fed E-dense diet had an approximately 5% higher body weights than dams fed chow. With EtOH exposure, dams fed E-dense diet had 2–5% less weight loss during gestation than dams fed chow (P < 0.05). EtOH consumption did not change the litter size in E-dense group, but decreased in chow group. Dams from E-dense groups had 2.1 times less neonatal deaths than dams from chow groups. At PD7, pups from E-dense groups had higher body weights regardless of EtOH consumption compared to pups from chow groups (P < 0.0001). EtOH increased ceramides in the hippocampus of pups from chow group, which was reduced by the E-dense diet (P < 0.05). No significant changes were found in caspase-3 activity. The E-dense diet provided to dams attenuated EtOH-induced weight loss and ceramide elevations in the hippocampus of pups as compared with the chow diet. Ceramide elevations did not lead to changes in caspase-3 activity, which requires a further study to find whether other apoptotic markers preceding caspase-3 activation are stimulated. This study indicates that the quality of maternal diet impacts birth outcomes and neuroapoptotic markers in neonates with prenatal EtOH exposure, and maternal nutrition is a potential factor to reduce the severity of FASD. This work was supported by Research Manitoba, Canada-Israel International Fetal Alcohol Consortium and Manitoba Graduate Scholarship.