Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Glucose and Liver Metabolism in Term Rat Fetus and Neonate

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Abstract
The combined effects of chronic ethanol ingestion and fasting (24-hr fast, except water, prior to delivery) were examined in term pregnant rats and their offspring. Rats fed liquid diet containing 5% (w/v) ethanol (EF) consumed fewer calories than those fed control diet and exhibited reduced weight gain relative to either ad libitum-fed (AF) or pair-fed (PF) controls. While the number of live fetuses at term was unaffected, fetal body and liver weights were reduced in EF litters. Blood glucose levels were significantly lower in EF groups. Liver glycogen levels also were reduced in EF fetuses, without any change in plasma immunoreactive insulin or immunoreactive phosphorylase were significantly lower in livers of EF fetuses than in livers of control fetuses. After delivery, blood glucose and plasma immunoreactive insulin levels fell more slowly in EF neonates than in either control group, but EF neonates remained hypoglycemic at 4 hr postnatal, whereas glycemia in both control groups had recovered to normal. Plasma immunoreactive glucagon levels in EF were elevated during the first 2 hr following delivery relative to either AF or PF controls, and hepatic glycogen levels were reduced in EF neonates during the entire interval studied. Conclusion: Fetal exposure to ethanol in utero and to a short maternal fasting prior to delivery results in fetal growth retardation, hypoglycemia, hypoinsulinemia, and liver glycogen depletion at term. Also, both glycogen synthase (active and total) and phosphorylase (active and total) were decreased as well. These aberrations in fetal carbohydrate metabolism exhibited a slow or incomplete recovery during the immediate perinatal period.