Growth-depressing effects of alcohol and nicotine in two strains of rats

Inbred Buffalo and Fisher rats were submitted to daily treatment with alcohol and nicotine for a period of 6 months. Alcohol treatment was pre- and postnatal, nicotine treatment postnatal only. All parameters of bone length and weight were depressed in both experiments in spite of the continuous growth of the rats. Although the level of depression was greater in some areas than in others, a clear target area applicable to both sexes and strains could not be found. Fisher and Buffalo females tolerated nicotine better than males. Buffalo rats showed a greater tolerance to alcohol than Fisher rats, and males tolerated alcohol better than females. This was particularly evident in pregnant rats: whereas all alcohol-treated Fisher embryos were stillborn, some of their Buffalo counterparts survived. This is most likely due to the lesser bone robusticity of Fisher over Buffalo rats and resorption of the fetal bones in Fisher embryos resulting from the decalcifying effect of alcohol.