Paternal alcohol exposure: developmental and behavioral effects on the offspring of rats

The effect of paternal alcohol exposure on neurochemical and behavioral parameters was investigated using as a model system glial cells derived from newborn rat brain and cultured for 4 weeks. The total brain neurochemical parameters from rats born to mothers sired by an alcohol treated father were also investigated. Enzymatic markers of nerve cell development (enolase isoenzymes and glutamine synthetase) and the defense system (superoxide dismutase) against free radicals formed during alcohol degradation were measured in order to evaluate nerve cell damage. Behavioral locomotor tests (open-field, novelty-seeking, light/dark) were carried out to show long-lasting effects of paternal alcoholization on the offspring. Behavioral and developmental alterations were found until 1 year of age in the offspring and a significant growth retardation was observed in the males. Our results suggest that paternal alcohol exposure produces developmental and behavioral effects in the offspring. The consequence of either alcohol withdrawal during stage one spermatogenesis, or maternal diet supplementation with manganese during pregnancy were investigated. It was observed that some of the effects of paternal alcohol exposure on the offspring may be reversed by these treatments.