Teraogenic Effect Of Beer And Palm Wine On Histology Of Fetal Cerbral Cortex Of Wistar Rats

Beer and palm wine are two alcoholic beverages that play an important role in local ceremonies and other social life of Nigerians especially in the Southern part of the country. This study was to compare the teratogenic effect of maternal administration of various doses of beer and fermented palm wine on the histological features of the fetal cerebral cortex of wistar rats. The percentage of alcohol in beer was experimentally found to be 6.1%. The estimated alcohol content in five days fermented palm wine was 4.5%. Female rats of proven fertility were caged with sexually matured male rats. The presence of sperm in the vaginal smear obtained the following morning confirmed coitus and the sperm positive day was designated as day zero of pregnancy. Oral doses of 4ml, 8ml of beer and 4ml, 8ml of five days fermented palm wine was administered respectively from 7th to 13th day of gestation. On the 20th day of gestation, and the rats were sacrificed and the fetuses removed. The cerebral cortex were removed and fixed in Boiun,s fluid, stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin method and examined under the microscope.Histological result showed marked distortion and disappearance of the intermediate zone of the developing cerebral cortex, a merging of the subventricular and intermediate zone and reduction in the cortical and subventricular zones in the treated groups. These observations were more severe in sections from rats whose mothers received 8ml of beer and 8ml of 5days fermented palm wine. Our results suggest that fermented palm wine and beer is teratogenic to the developing cerebral cortex of wistar rats.