Absence of effect of prenatal ethanol on adult emotionality and ethanol consumption in rats.

Abstract

Virgin or pregnant Long-Evans hooded rats (approximately 75 days of age) were intubated daily with either 1 or 2 g of ethanol per kg body weight (as 20% solutions). The offspring were assigned to untreated foster mothers immediately after birth and were examined blind at 75 days or age by open and free-field tests for emotionality (20 and 16 offspring per group) and at about 5 mo. for ethanol selection (6-10 per group). Comparisons were made with vehicle-injected, pair-fed controls and animals given food and water ad lib. Peak blood ethanol concentrations after 1 and 2 g of ethanol/kg were 30 and 80 mg/100 ml, respectively, in pregnant rats, and 40 and 105 mg/100 ml in the virgin females. Rates of blood ethanol disappearance showed no significant difference between pregnant and virgin rats. Open and free-field tests showed no significant effects of sex or prenatal treatment except for significantly greater activity of females than males in open-field ambulation and rearing. Ethanol consumption was measured over a 4 wk period during which both water and a 6% ethanol solution were continuously available. Females consumed more ethanol than males. Separate one-way analyses of variance performed on treatment groups for each sex indicated no significant differences between groups, although both males and females prenatally treated with the higher ethanol dose consistently consumed less ethanol than their pair-fed controls.