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BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 1/2002

Open Access 01-12-2002 | Research article

Impact of in utero exposure to EtOH on corpus callosum development and paw preference in rats: protective effects of silymarin

Authors: Nicol Moreland, Linda La Grange, Rebecca Montoya

Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies | Issue 1/2002

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Abstract

Background

Using a rat model we have found that the bioflavonoid silymarin (SY) ameliorates some of the negative consequences of in utero exposure to ethanol (EtOH). In the current study our aim was to determine if laterality preference and corpus callosum development were altered in rat offspring whose mothers were provided with a concomitant administration of SY with EtOH throughout gestation.

Methods

We provided pregnant Fisher/344 rats with liquid diets containing 35% ethanol derived calories (EDC) throughout the gestational period. A silymarin/phospholipid compound containing 29.8% silybin was co administered with EtOH to a separate experimental group. We tested the offspring for laterality preference at age 12 weeks. After testing the rats were sacrificed and their brains perfused for later corpus callosum extraction.

Results

We observed incomplete development of the splenium in the EtOH-only offspring. Callosal development was complete in all other treatment groups. Rats from the EtOH-only group displayed a left paw preference; whereas control rats were evenly divided between right and left paw preference. Inexplicably both SY groups were largely right paw preferring.

Conclusions

The addition of SY to the EtOH liquid diet did confer some ameliorative effects upon the developing fetal rat brain.
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Metadata
Title
Impact of in utero exposure to EtOH on corpus callosum development and paw preference in rats: protective effects of silymarin
Authors
Nicol Moreland
Linda La Grange
Rebecca Montoya
Publication date
01-12-2002
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies / Issue 1/2002
Electronic ISSN: 2662-7671
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-2-10

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