| Fetal alcohol syndrome is a set of malformations such as craniofacial abnormalities, CNS dysfunction, and stunting of growth occurring in children exposed to ethanol in utero. Neuronal death is one of the most prominent consequences of alcohol exposure during development. Ethanol induced neuronal death appears to involve apoptosis. The objective of the present dissertation was to characterize the effect of ethanol on neuronal cell viability and to determine the mechanism by which ethanol enhances apoptosis in neural cells. For these studies the neuron-like rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells were used. PC12 cells were incubated for 24 hr in the presence or absence of 100 mM ethanol. Apoptosis was induced by serum withdrawal. Cell death was measured by incorporation of ethidium homodimer and L23101 fluorescent dyes. Ethanol in the presence of serum-containing media did not alter cell viability, while incubation of PC12 cells in serum-free media resulted in a significant increase in cell death that was further significantly increased by 35% in cells exposed to ethanol. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
