Folate administration at pregnancy ameliorates the facilitatory effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on postnatal ethanol intake

SERVÍN BERNAL I; MOLINA J.C.,; DADDARIO, CLAUDIO; MARENGO LEONARDO; SALGUERO, AGUSTÍN; CENDÁN CRUZ MIGUEL; FABIO M.C.; MORÓN HENCHE, IGNACIO; PAUTASSI R.M.

Congreso; 2022 Virtual Meeting of the Latinamerican Society of Biomedical Research on Alcoholism; 2022

Latinamerican Society of Biomedical Research on Alcoholism

Introduction: Prenatal ethanol exposure (PEE) is associated with numerous behavioral deficits and greater likelihood of ethanol intake at adolescence. The prenatal administration of folate is a promising approach to reduce the effects of PEE, albeit its impact is still under analysis. Objectives: We tested, in male and female Wistar rats, if prenatal folate administration modulated the effects of PEE on ethanol intake and preference. Methods: This experiment involved 119 adolescent Wistar rats derived from dams given folate (20 mg/kg, gestational days ?GD- 13-20) + ethanol (2.0 g/kg, GD 17-20), ethanol or only vehicle at pregnancy. The offspring of these rats was tested for ethanol intake and percent preference vs. water, via two-bottle intake tests (length: 24 h), conducted on postnatal days (PDs) 28, 30, 35 and 36. Results: PEE significantly enhanced absolute and percent ethanol intake, when compared to the control group (i.e., rats given only vehicle). The rats given folate before PEE did not differ from controls. These effects suggest that folate inhibits the facilitatory effect of PEE upon (absolute and percent) ethanol intake at adolescence.