Análise histológica do estômago da prole de ratas wistar submetidas ao consumo crônico de álcool durante a prenhez

Consumption of alcoholic beverages during pregnancy is a significant public health problem, since it can damage to the organogenesis of several organs, including the stomach; however, few studies evaluate the effect of prenatal exposure to alcohol in this organ. The objective of this study was to analyze the histology the stomach of offspring of rats submitted to chronic alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Ten pregnant rats were divided into the groups: Control - rats receiving distilled water throughout the gestation period and Alcohol - rats receiving absolute ethyl alcohol (3g/kg/day) throughout the gestation period. Then, after birth, 12 pups (6 males and 6 females) from each group were anesthetized and the stomachs were collected. Subsequently, the organs were fixed and processed following the routine histological technique. Histomorphometric analyzes of the mucosa, muscle and total stomach wall were performed. It was observed that the male and female offspring exposed to ethanol had a decrease in the epithelium area, however, males also showed a significant reduction number of epithelial cells. There was also a reduction in the layers thickness mucosa, muscle and total stomach wall of the female offspring of the alcohol group. However, the muscular layer presented a significant increase in its thickness in the group of male neonates exposed to ethanol. We conclude that prenatal exposure to alcohol causes harmful effects on neonates' stomachs, however, future studies are necessary to better elucidate the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and possible consequences for animals in adulthood.