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Maternal and paternal alcohol consumption increase offspring susceptibility to Pseudomonas aeruginosa ocular
L D Hazlett1, R P Barrett, R S Berk
1Department of Anatomy/Cell Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Mich.
Insights
Parental alcohol consumption negatively impacts offspring eye health. Higher alcohol intake by parents led to more frequent and earlier corneal perforations in offspring challenged with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Toxicology
- Reproductive Science
Background:
- Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and prior to conception is a significant public health concern.
- The effects of parental alcohol exposure on offspring ocular health are not well understood.
- Animal models are crucial for investigating the complex interplay between environmental factors and developmental outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of parental alcohol consumption on the susceptibility of offspring to bacterial keratitis.
- To determine if maternal and paternal alcohol exposure have differential or synergistic effects on corneal pathology in offspring.
- To establish a dose-response relationship between parental alcohol intake and the severity of ocular disease in progeny.
Main Methods:
- Male and female rats were fed liquid diets with varying ethanol concentrations (0%, 17.5%, 35%) for at least 3 weeks prior to mating.
- Offspring were challenged with Pseudomonas aeruginosa onto the cornea at approximately 50 days of age.
- Ocular responses were evaluated macroscopically for 3 weeks, and histopathology was performed.
Main Results:
- A significant, dose-related increase in the frequency and early onset of corneal perforation was observed in offspring with increasing levels of parental alcohol consumption.
- Higher parental alcohol intake correlated with more severe corneal pathology in offspring, confirmed by histopathology.
- No significant effect of offspring sex or interaction between maternal and paternal alcohol exposure was found.
Conclusions:
- Parental alcohol consumption, both maternal and paternal, significantly increases the risk and severity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced keratitis in offspring.
- The findings highlight the transgenerational impact of alcohol exposure on ocular immune defense and corneal integrity.
- Reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy is critical for preventing adverse ocular outcomes in offspring.
Abstract:
Male rats that consumed liquid alcohol diets containing 35%, 17.5 or 0% ethanol-derived calories for a minimum of 3 weeks were bred to females which were fed similar diets during pregnancy. At approximately 50 days of age, offspring were challenged with 10 X 10(7) Pseudomonas aeruginosa onto the scarified cornea. The ocular response, evaluated macroscopically, for 3 weeks, revealed a significant dose-related effect of both maternal and paternal alcohol exposure. The higher the parental alcohol consumption the earlier and the more frequently the cornea of progeny perforated. There was no effect of sex of offspring or interaction between maternal and paternal factors. Histopathology confirmed the above data in that progeny of parents receiving 0% or lower-dose alcohol treatment had less severe corneal pathology than progeny of parents with higher alcohol doses.