Prenatal influence of alcohol following a single exposure in two inbred strains of mice.

The effect of a single dose of ethanol on embryonic development was investigated in two inbred strains of mice. Ethanol (25% v/v solution, 0.02 ml/g body weight) was administered intraperitoneally on either gestational day 6, 9 or 12 to C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. All fetuses recovered near term were alive and appeared normal. The incidence of fetal death was not affected. Fetal weight was significantly reduced in the C57BL/6J strain of mice. Maternal exposure to a single and moderate dose of ethanol did not have any profound effect on the conceptus. For the development of laboratory models to mimic fetal alcohol effects in humans, the selection of appropriate genotype is important.