Journal Article Epublish 2 citations
PubMed: 38473719 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052471
The Impacts of Periconceptional Alcohol on Neonatal Ovaries and Subsequent Adult Fertility in the Rat.
Int J Mol Sci 25(5)
Authors: Sarah E Steane, Danielle J Burgess, Karen M Moritz, Lisa K Akison
Affiliations
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
- Mater Research, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia.
Abstract
Maternal exposures during pregnancy can impact the establishment of the ovarian reserve in offspring, the lifetime supply of germ cells that determine a woman's reproductive lifespan. However, despite alcohol consumption being common in women of reproductive age, the impact of prenatal alcohol on ovarian development is rarely investigated. This study used an established rat model of periconceptional ethanol exposure (PCEtOH; 12.5% / ethanol) for 4 days prior to 4 days post-conception. Ovaries were collected from neonates (day 3 and day 10), and genes with protein products involved in regulating the ovarian reserve analyzed by qPCR. Adult offspring had estrous cycles monitored and breeding performance assessed. PCEtOH resulted in subtle changes in expression of genes regulating apoptosis at postnatal day (PN) 3, whilst those involved in regulating growth and recruitment of primordial follicles were dysregulated at PN10 in neonatal ovaries. Despite these gene expression changes, there were no significant impacts on breeding performance in adulthood, nor on F2-generation growth or survival. This contributes additional evidence to suggest that a moderate level of alcohol consumption exclusively around conception, when a woman is often unaware of her pregnancy, does not substantially impact the fertility of her female offspring.
MeSH
Genes, Pregnancy, Fertility, Growth, Breeding, Ovary, Ovarian Reserve, Estrous Cycle, Ethanol, Alcohol Drinking, Gene Expression