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Female Rats Ingested Alcohol before and after Pregnancy Impact DNA Methylation Patterns in Pre-implantation Embryo
Huang Jichang3, Wang Caihong3, Liu Yong1,2, Wu Fengrui1,2, Ding Biao1,2, Li Wenyong2, Wang Rong1,2*
1School of Life Science, Fuyang Teachers College, Fuyang 236037, China; 2Key Laboratory of Embryo Development and Reproductive Regulation in Anhui, Fuyang 236037, China; 3School of Life Science, Anhui University, Hefei 230
Abstract: Women exposed to alcohol before and after pregnancy have been found to impede the fetal development and adversely affect its nervous system， known as fetal alcohol syndrome disorders. Mice often used as an animal model of the disease. As part of our investigation of mechanisms underlying alcohol adverse effects on DNA methylation patterns in pre-implantation embryos， embryos in vitro and in vivo from female mice intaked alcohol before and after pregnancy were studied. We found that treatment group I in vitro (long-term alcohol intake before pregnancy)， except for 8-cell， the embryonic DNA methylation levels were significantly lower than the control group; Treatment group II in vitro (embryos cultured in a medium contained ethanol) was significantly lower than the control group in every period of time. Compare treatment group I and treatment group II in vivo found that DNA methylation in pre-implantation embryo was significantly lower than the control in vivo. Experimental results in vivo and in vitro indicated that females before and after pregnancy with alcohol intake might cause incorrect establishment of DNA methylation patterns in pre-implantation embryo， which provided certain foundation for revealing certain basic mechanisms of fetal alcohol syndrome.
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