Effects of acetylsalicylic acid on ethanol-induced intrauterine growth restriction in rats

ABSTRACT

The effects of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) on intrauterine growth restriction induced by maternal ethanol consumption were studied. A single intraperitoneal dose of ethanol (2.96 g/kg body weight), injected on the 10th day of pregnancy (PD10), significantly reduced maternal weight gain, fetal weight, amniotic fluid volume and umbilical cord length. Meanwhile, ethanol did not affect placental weight or litter size. A single intraperitoneal dose of ASA (200 mg/g body weight), injected on the PD10, did not modify maternal body weight gain, litter size, fetal and placental weights and amniotic fluid volume, but significantly diminished umbilical cord length. Intraperitoneal injections of either ASA (200 mg/g body weight) or ethanol (2.96 g/kg body weight) on the PD10, demonstrated that ASA antagonized, in part at least, the effects of ethanol on maternal weight gain, fetal weight, and amniotic fluid volume. Contrarily, ASA potentiated the effect of ethanol on umbilical cord length.