Exposure to ethanol during the prenatal period contributes to increased alcohol consumption and preference in rodents and increased risk for alcoholism in humans. With studies in adult animals showing the orexigenic peptides, enkephalin (ENK), galanin (GAL) and orexin (OX), to stimulate ethanol consumption, the question addressed here is whether prenatal ethanol alters the development in utero of specific neurons that express these peptides. With reports describing suppressive effects of high doses of ethanol, we examined the offspring of dams gavaged from embryonic day 9 to parturition with a control solution or lower ethanol doses, 1 and 3 g/kg/day, known to promote ethanol consumption in the offspring. To understand underlying mechanisms, measurements were taken in postnatal offspring of the expression of ENK in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and nucleus accumbens (NAc), GAL in the PVN, and OX in the perifornical lateral hypothalamus (PFLH) using real-time qPCR and in situ hybridization, and also of the cell proliferation marker, 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU), and its double-labeling with either neuronal nuclei (NeuN), a marker of mature neurons, or the peptides. On postnatal day 15 (P15), after two weeks without ethanol, the offspring showed increased expression of ENK in the PVN and NAc core but not shell, GAL in the PVN, and OX in the PFLH. In these same areas, prenatal ethanol compared to control increased the density at birth (PO) of neurons expressing these peptides and at PO and P15 of neurons double-labeling BrdU and NeuN, indicating increased neurogenesis. These BrdU-positive neurons were found to express ENK, GAL and OX, indicating that prenatal ethanol promotes neurogenesis in these specific peptide systems. There were no changes in gliogenesis or apoptosis. This increase in neurogenesis and density of peptide-expressing neurons suggests the involvement of these hypothalamic and accumbal peptide systems in mediating the increased alcohol consumption observed in prenatal ethanol-exposed offspring. (C) 2012 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
PRENATAL ETHANOL EXPOSURE STIMULATES NEUROGENESIS IN HYPOTHALAMIC AND LIMBIC PEPTIDE SYSTEMS: POSSIBLE MECHANISM FOR OFFSPRING ETHANOL OVERCONSUMPTION
Creators
G. -Q. Chang - Rockefeller University
O. Karatayev - Rockefeller University
S. C. Liang - Rockefeller University
J. R. Barson - Rockefeller University
S. F. Leibowitz - Rockefeller University
Publication Details
Neuroscience, v 222, pp 417-428
Publisher
Elsevier
Number of pages
12
Grant note
AA12882 / USPHS Grant; United States Department of Health & Human Services; United States Public Health Service
R01AA012882 / NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Resource Type
Journal article
Language
English
Academic Unit
Neurobiology and Anatomy; College of Medicine; Drexel University
Web of Science ID
WOS:000309085500037
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84865633695
Other Identifier
991020112078404721
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