Effect of maternal alcohol exposure on fetal ovarian lactate dehydrogenase

Pregnant inbred mice strain Balb/c injected intraperitoneally with 100 mu1 of 70% ethanol for 7 consecutive days (9th through 16th day of gestation). One group of mice were also injected with diethylstibestrol (DES) dissolved in 70% ethanol. The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was measured 90 days postpartum in the crude extracts of ovarian tissues (obtained from mothers and offspring) as well as in testicular tissues of the male offspring. The data show that the electrophoretic pattern of LDH in these tissues does not change, but the ovarian LDH is inhibited by alcohol. The testicular LDH on the other hand is not affected by the alcohol treatment. Because of the effect of alcohol itself, the effect of DES could not be determined.