Maternal alcohol administration suppresses expression of nitric oxide synthase in the hippocampus of offspring rats.

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy can produce teratogenic effects and has a detrimental effect on the development of the fetus. In this study, the dose-dependent effect of maternal alcohol administration on the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the hippocampus of the offspring rats was investigated. From the present result, it was shown that expression of NOS is decreased following treatment with maternal alcohol in a dose-dependent fashion. The present results suggest that suppression of NOS expression in the hippocampus of offspring rats with maternal alcohol mediates the associated developmental retardation and/or anomalies.