The effects of high dose sporadic (binge) alcohol intake in mice

BALB/c and CBA/h mice were used to investigate the teratogenic effects of sporadic high doses of ethanol. Two consecutive days between days 8 and 11 of organogenesis were chosen on which to administer 0.5 ml of 20 percent ethanol by gavage. An additional group was similarly dosed for four consecutive days starting on the eighth day. All the mice were killed on day 18 of gestation and evidence of growth retardation and malformation in the offspring was sought by skeletal and soft tissue screening. The basic pharmacokinetics of ethanol intake were also investigated. The most marked effects of ethanol were an increase in resorptions, skeletal growth retardation and skeletal variants, however all appeared to be strain specific. The results confirm that ethanol is embryotoxic and suggest that animal models are appropriate for studying aspects of growth retardation.