Ethanol and diazepam effects on intrauterine growth of the rat

Four groups of 6 pregnant Long-Evans rats were intubated on days 6, 7, 9, 12, 15, and 18 of gestation with (a) 4 g/kg ethanol (E), (2) 10 mg/kg diazepam (D) plus isocaloric amounts of sucrose, (3) 10 mg/kg diazepam plus 4 g/kg ethanol (DE), and (4) gum arabic suspension plus sucrose solution in isocaloric amount with E (PF). All groups were pair-fed with group DE and had ad libitum access to water. On day 19 there were no differences in maternal weight gain, litter size, fetal weight, and protein content in fetal brain. Fetal brain and placental weight were significantly decreased in E, D, and DE. The decrease in placental weight in DE was significantly higher than in E or D. The concentrations of glutamic acid, alanine, glycine, serine, threonine, leucine, valine, and tyrosine in fetal brains were significantly decreased after E and D, but not different in DE from PF. Diazepam did not potentiate the effects of ethanol. Undernutrition could be a confounding factor in the observed effects.