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Aspirin augments alcohol in restricting brain growth in the neonatal rat
1Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, University of Iowa 52242.
Insights
Early alcohol exposure in rats causes microcephaly. Concurrent aspirin administration, particularly at high doses, exacerbated alcohol
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Early postnatal development is critical for brain growth.
- Alcohol exposure during this period can lead to developmental deficits like microcephaly.
- Aspirin's potential role in modulating alcohol-induced neurodevelopmental effects is unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of concurrent aspirin administration on alcohol-induced microcephaly in neonatal rats.
- To determine if aspirin mitigates or exacerbates alcohol's impact on brain development.
Main Methods:
- Neonatal rats were artificially reared and exposed to ethanol (6.6 g/kg/day) with varying doses of aspirin (0.0, 12.5, 25.0, 50.0 mg/kg/day).
- Control groups received aspirin without ethanol.
- Brainstem, cerebellum, and total brain weights were measured on postnatal day 10.
Main Results:
- Alcohol alone significantly reduced brain weights (total brain, cerebellum, brainstem).
- A significant interaction between ethanol and aspirin was observed for total brain weight.
- The highest aspirin dose (50 mg/kg/day) combined with alcohol resulted in the lowest total brain weight, a 29.5% reduction.
Conclusions:
- Concurrent aspirin administration does not prevent alcohol-induced microcephaly.
- High-dose aspirin exacerbates alcohol's detrimental effects on total brain weight during early postnatal development.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine whether the microencephaly in rats resulting from early postnatal alcohol exposure is altered by a concurrent administration of aspirin. Neonatal rats were artificially reared from postnatal day 4 to postnatal day 10, a period of the brain growth spurt in the rat that is similar to the third trimester of human brain development. The alcohol-treated groups received 6.6 g/kg/day of ethanol and either 0.0, 12.5, 25.0 or 50.0 mg/kg/day of aspirin in a milk solution. Control groups received either 0.0 (gastrostomy control), 12.5, 25.0 or 50.0 mg/kg/day of aspirin in a milk solution free of alcohol. Brainstem, cerebellum and total brain weights were measured on postnatal day 10. Alcohol alone significantly reduced the mean total brain weight, cerebellum and brainstem weight by 19.8%, 23.1% and 12.2%, respectively, relative to gastrostomy controls. A significant interaction between ethanol and aspirin was observed for total brain weight. The mean total brain weight of the group receiving both alcohol and 50 mg/kg/day aspirin was significantly lower than all other experimental groups and was reduced 29.5%, relative to gastrostomy controls. The highest dose of aspirin alone significantly reduced cerebellar weight, relative to gastrostomy controls but had no effect on brainstem or total brain weight.