2012
Volume 12, Number 4, pp. 138–144
Disturbances in neurogenesis of the rat brain cortical and subcortical limbic structures during foetal alcohol syndrome development and their correction with zinc
I. Svanidze, D. Museridze, E. Didimova, T. Sanikidze, L. Gegenava and N. Gvinadze
I. Beritashvili Centre of Experimental Biomedicine, 14 Gotua St, 0160 Tbilisi, Georgia
Prenatal ethanol intoxication leads to the formation of foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) that manifests itself in a decreased proliferative activity of stem cells in the composition of the ependymal layer of lateral ventricles, the disturbance of migration of neuro- and glioblasts, enhancement of signalling free NO and lipoperoxides, cell death and alteration of the number of neurons in the cortical and subcortical structures of the rat brain. The use of zinc as an antioxidant showed impairment of the destructive processes observable in the period of the limbic system’s neurogenesis. Zinc, being a cofactor of alcohol dehydrogenase, leads to normalization of the proliferative processes, migration and differentiation of neuroblasts and serves as a means of lowering oxidative stress level.
Keywords: FAS, free radicals, limbic system, neurogenesis, zinc