Korean J Anat.  2006 Aug;39(4):255-268.

Effect of Maternal Thyroxine Treatment on the Postnatal Development of Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor-containing Neuron in the Brain of Pups of Alcohol Abused Mother

• Kang YS
• Chung YY
• Park YL
• Hyun YS
• Kim JJ
• Moon JS
• Mun YM
• Oh JW
• Shin SH
• Bae CS

Abstract

Maternal alcohol abuse is thought to be the common cause of mental retardation. Especially, continuous alcohol consumption during critical period of brain development induce fetal alcohol effects. In this study, the authors investigated the effects of maternal alcohol drinking on the postnatal changes of BDNF contents and patterns of BDNF-containing neuron in neonatal rat brain, and, the influence of maternal thyroxine treatment on the brain of pups of alcohol abused mother. Pregnant rats were divided into three groups. Alcohol-fed group (n=4) received 35 calories of liquid alcohol diet daily from gestation day 6; control pair-fed group (n=4) was fed a liquid diet in dextrin replaced alcohol isocalorically; alcohol+T4 group (n=4) received 35 calories liquid alcohol diet and exogenous thyroxine (5 microgram/kg/day) subcutaneously. The amount of BDNF was significantly higher in the alcohol+T4 group as compared to the alcohol group at P7, P14 and P21, especially, alcohol+T4-exposed pups showed a significant increase of BDNF at P7. The decrease in BDNF was found in alcohol group compared to control pair-fed group at all ages. In alcohol+T4 group, BDNF-containing Purkinje cells exhibited mature pattern and monolayer arrangement at P14. Alcohol+T4 group showed mature pattern and numerical increase of BDNF-containing cells in cerebral cortex, hypothalamus and hippocampus at P7. The BDNF immunoreactivity of hippocampus continued to show prominent configuration in alcohol+T4 group at P28. These results indicate that the increase of the BDNF-containing neurons and BDNF amount in pups of thyroxinesupplemented alcohol-exposed dams as compared to control pair-fed and alcohol-exposed pups at P7, presumably suggest the early postnatal growth stimulatory effect of the exogenously supplemented thyroxine. Therefore, the increase of BDNF synthesis caused by maternal administration of exogenous thyroxine may ameliorate fetal alcohol effects, one of the ill effects as a result of the dysthyroid state following maternal alcohol abuse.

Keyword

Fetal alcohol effect; Thyroxine; BDNF; Rat brain; Postnatal development; Immunohistochemistry

MeSH Terms

Alcohol Drinking
Alcoholism
Animals
Brain*
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Cerebral Cortex
Critical Period (Psychology)
Diet
Hippocampus
Humans
Hypothalamus
Immunohistochemistry
Intellectual Disability
Mothers*
Neurons*
Pregnancy
Purkinje Cells
Rats
Thyroxine*
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Thyroxine