Effect of chronic ethanol exposure on the expression of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor 2C subunit and on MK-801 binding sites in the cerebral cortex of the near-term fetal guinea pig

he mechanism of ethanol central nervous system (CNS) teratogenesis, resulting from chronic maternal ingestion of high-dose ethanol during pregnancy, is not clearly understood. One of the target sites of ethanol teratogenesis in the developing brain is the cerebral cortex. It has been proposed that chronic prenatal ethanol exposure alters the expression and function of NMDA receptors in the developing cerebral cortex. To test this hypothesis, timed pregnant guinea pigs were randomly assigned to one of the following four experimental groups: chronic oral administration of 4 g ethanol/kg maternal body weight/day, isocaloric-sucrose/pair-feeding, or water, or no treatment (ad libitum). Near-term fetuses were studied at gestational day (GD) 63 (term, about GD 68). This ethanol regimen produced a maternal blood ethanol concentration of 66...