Dopamine, Serotonin, and Acid Metabolites in Brain Regions from the Developing Offspring of Ethanol‐Treated Rats

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Abstract
Female rats were pair‐fed control or ethanol liquid diets on a chronic basis prior to parturition. Six brain regions (hypothalamus, cerebellum, brain stem, cortex, corpus striatum, and hippocampus) were dissected from 19‐ and 35‐day‐old rat offspring for the determination of dopamine (DA), sertonin (5‐HT), 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), 5‐hydroxyindole‐acetic acid (5‐HIAA), and homovanillic acid (HVA). DA, 5‐HT, and the acid metabolites were separated simultaneously by reverse‐phase HPLC and were quantitated using electrochemical detection. Between 19 and 35 days of age in control rats we observed an increase in the concentration of 5‐HT and 5‐HIAA in the corpus striatum and hippocampus and a decrease in these compounds in the cerebellum. In addition, there was a development‐related decrease of 5‐HIAA in the hypothalamus and an increase in the brain stem. During the same age period the concentration of dopamine increased in the hypothalamus and corpus striatum. There was also a development‐related decrease in the concentration of DOPAC in the corpus striatum and an increase in the cortex as well as a decrease in HVA in the cerebellum and cortex. In comparison to age‐matched control animals the 19‐ and 35‐day‐old offspring of ethanol‐treated rats had a lower concentration of 5‐HT and/or 5‐HIAA in the cortex, cerebellum, and brainstem. In addition the 35‐day‐old offspring of ethanol‐treated rats exhibited a decrease in DA and HVA in the cortex. The results of the present study suggest that in utero ethanol exposure affects both the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems in brain.