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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Assessing Teratogenic Changes in a Zebrafish Model of Fetal Alcohol Exposure
Published on: March 20, 2012
Embryonic exposure to exogenous alpha- and gamma-tocopherol partially attenuates ethanol-induced changes in brain
Robert R Miller1, Bethany M Olson, Nicholas Rorick
1Hillsdale College, Biology Department, 33 E. College Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242-1205, USA. bob.miller@hillsdale.edu
Abstract:
Previous studies demonstrated that embryonic exposure to ethanol (EtOH) promoted a reduction in brain mass, a reduction in brain neuron densities, and a reduction in membrane long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in embryonic chick brains. These EtOH-induced reductions in brain membrane PUFAs may be the result of lipid peroxidation because embryonic exposure to exogenous alpha- or gamma-tocopherol partially attenuated EtOH-induced reductions in membrane PUFAs. In this paper, we report that embryonic exposure to exogenous alpha- or gamma-tocopherol attenuated EtOH-induced decreases in endogenous levels of alpha-tocopherol in both embryonic chick brains and liver. Embryonic exposure to exogenous alpha- or gamma-tocopherol also partially attenuated EtOH-induced reductions in brain neuron densities within the cerebral hemispheres of embryonic chick brains. Finally, embryonic exposure to exogenous alpha- or gamma-tocopherol also partially attenuated EtOH-induced reductions in long-chain PUFAs in 2-day old neonatal chick brains.

