Histomorphological Hepato-teratogenic Effects of Ethanol on the Liver Lobule in Albino Rats (Rattus novegicus)

Background: Prenatal exposure to ethanol has been shown to have teratogenic effects to the developing fetal liver. However, the histomorphological effects of ethanol on the structural organization of the fetal liver when exposed at different gestational periods and in varied doses has not been well elucidated. Method: A static-group experimental study design was adopted in this study. A sample size of 30 female albino rats dams weighing between 200 to 230gm were used as the animal experimental model. These 30 rats were further grouped into two main groups namely; the Control group (n=3) and the experimental group n=27). The 27 rats were further assigned into three study groups based on the ethanol dosage namely: LEG, MEG and HEG at trimester I, II and III each that received 2g/kgbwt, 3.5g/kgbwt and 5g/kgbwt of ethanol respectively once daily via oral gavage. The control group received food and water ad libitum only. All the rats were humanly sacrificed on their 20th day of gestation. A total of 90 fetuses had their liver harvested, fixed in 10% formaldehydeand processed for histological analysis. The tissue slides were mounted on BP Olympus microscope, viewed under different magnifications and a 32 megapixel digital camera was used to capture liver photomicrographs. Results: This study established varied histomorphological effects of ethanol on the fetal liver lobule including constriction of the central vein, dilatation of the liver sinusoids and hepatocyte disaggregation among others. In conclusion, ethanol consumption during pregnancy has a wide range of detrimental hepato-teratogenic effects throughout the three gestational periods in dose dependent manner. It is therefore recommended that expectant mothers should avoid ethanol consumption any time during pregnancy.