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Early-Ethanol Exposure Induced Region-Specific Changes in Metabolic Proteins in the Rat Brain: A Proteomics Study

Patricia C Swart1, Vivienne A Russell2, Nicolaas M Vlok3

  • 1Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa. swrpat003@myuct.ac.za.

Journal of Molecular Neuroscience : MN
|June 20, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Early alcohol exposure in rats alters brain proteins, affecting energy metabolism and structure. The dorsal hippocampus showed greater protein changes, suggesting higher susceptibility to prenatal alcohol

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Biochemistry
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Prenatal alcohol exposure causes cognitive and behavioral deficits.
  • Understanding long-term molecular brain changes is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term effects of early ethanol exposure on brain proteins.
  • To identify region-specific proteomic alterations in the prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus.

Main Methods:

  • Male Sprague-Dawley rat pups exposed to ethanol or saline during the third human trimester equivalent.
  • Proteomic analysis using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) at postnatal day 31.
  • Analysis focused on prefrontal cortex (PFC) and dorsal hippocampus (DH) tissues.

Main Results:

  • Ethanol exposure altered NADH metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation in the PFC, while decreasing oxidative stress protection.
  • In the DH, ethanol exposure reduced ATP synthesis and increased glycogen synthesis.
  • Structural proteins were decreased in both PFC and DH, with more significant changes observed in the DH.

Conclusions:

  • Early ethanol exposure induces region-specific long-term proteomic changes in the brain.
  • The dorsal hippocampus appears more vulnerable to prenatal alcohol-induced molecular alterations.
  • These findings offer insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Keywords:
Dorsal hippocampusEnergy metabolism, prefrontal cortexEthanolFASDProteomics

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