Embryopathic effects of thromboxane B2 in the chick

Ethanol increases PGE and thromboxane production in mouse pregnant uterine tissue

The teratogenic effect of ethanol in the C57BL/6J mouse can be attenuated by pretreatment with aspirin (ASA). One prominent effect of ASA is to inhibit prostaglandin (PGE) and thromboxane (TXB2) production. We examined the effect of in vivo ethanol exposure on PGE and TXB2 production in a uterine-embryo tissue sample of C57BL/6J mice either before or after in vivo ASA pretreatment on day 10 of gestation. Ethanol increased both PGE and TXB2 production by approximately 20%. ASA caused a marked reduction of PGE and TXB2 in both control and ethanol groups by approximately 80-90%. The mouse strain, gestation time, and study parameters used in this study were the same as in the previously reported ASA attenuation of the teratogenic effect of ethanol. Therefore, the present data add additional support to the hypothesis that prostaglandin and/or thromboxane production may be involved in at least some aspects of fetal alcohol syndrome.

Alcohol, pregnancy, and prostaglandins

Basic scientists and clinicians alike are in agreement that children of alcoholic mothers are at risk for a variety of birth defects. These defects have been labeled fetal alcohol syndrome or, in a milder form, fetal alcohol effects. Prevention or therapeutic intervention of this disorder requires an understanding of the mechanism of action of alcohol on the developing fetus. This paper addresses the possible role of prostaglandins as biochemical mediators of the teratogenic actions of alcohol.

Biochemical interactions of ethanol with the arachidonic acid cascade

A rapidly increasing scientific literature now supports the possibility of an alcohol-prostaglandin interaction. This chapter reviews evidence for both direct and indirect biochemical interactions between ethanol and the metabolism of arachidonic acid and several related compounds. Much of the present data is based on pharmacological manipulation of prostaglandin (PG) levels by potent nonsteroid anti-inflammatory agents such as indomethacin. Indomethacin markedly alters the behavioral response to ethanol, particularly in the mouse model. These data suggest that PGs are involved in the behavioral response to acute ethanol exposure in the mouse. In other animal models, alcohol has been reported to alter blood platelet metabolism of arachidonic acid, to suppress the enzymatic degradation of PGs, and to alter the response of the adenyl cyclase system to several hormones including PGs of the "E" series. In humans, both the stimulation and inhibition of PG synthesis is reported to aid the treatment of various aspects of alcoholism. Further, PGs are reported to protect against alcohol-induced fatty liver, and both PGs and arachidonic acid protect the gastric mucosa against ethanol-induced lesions. Certainly the residual consequences of acute, excessive ethanol consumption are commonly treated with a prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor. The material in this chapter is an attempt to review the data and to discuss the molecular mechanism underlying these observations.