Perinatal exposure to ethanol in rats induces permanent disturbances of breathing and chemosensitivity during adulthood

•Hypoventilation after perinatal ethanol exposure is permanent.•Low blood oxygen content after perinatal ethanol exposure is permanent.•Impaired response to hypoxia after perinatal ethanol exposure is permanent.•Response to hypercapnia remains unaltered. Perinatal exposure to drugs of abuse, includi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuroscience letters 2020-09, Vol.735, p.135219, Article 135219
Main Authors: Dubois, Christophe J., Pierrefiche, Olivier
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Breathing
Central Nervous System Depressants - toxicity
Ethanol
Ethanol - toxicity
Female
Hypoventilation
Hypoventilation - chemically induced
Hypoventilation - physiopathology
Hypoxia
Hypoxia - chemically induced
Hypoxia - physiopathology
Life Sciences
Male
Perinatal
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects - chemically induced
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects - physiopathology
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Respiration - drug effects
Respiratory Mechanics - drug effects
Respiratory Mechanics - physiology
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Summary:•Hypoventilation after perinatal ethanol exposure is permanent.•Low blood oxygen content after perinatal ethanol exposure is permanent.•Impaired response to hypoxia after perinatal ethanol exposure is permanent.•Response to hypercapnia remains unaltered. Perinatal exposure to drugs of abuse, including alcohol (ethanol), is known to impinge the development of respiratory function. However, most studies described the short-term effects of these exposures, focusing mostly on the early postnatal life. After exposure to ethanol during gestation and lactation we have previously shown that 3–4 week-old rat exhibit chronic hypoventilation and an altered response to hypoxia at the end of ethanol exposure. However, whether these deficits are reversible following ethanol withdrawal remained unknown. Here, we investigated through whole-body plethysmography the respiratory activity of 2 months-old rats exposed to ethanol from gestation to weaning followed by one month of ethanol withdrawal. After ethanol withdrawal, rats persistently exhibited a significant reduction in respiratory frequency without change in tidal volume associated to a lower arterial blood oxygen content. In addition, the response to hypoxia in these rats was reduced whereas the response to hypercapnia remained unaltered. In conclusion perinatal exposure to ethanol in rats, unlike exposure to cocaine, morphine or nicotine, is characterized by selective alterations of basal respiratory activity and chemosensitivity that persist long after withdrawal.
ISSN:0304-3940
1872-7972
DOI:10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135219