Melatonin prevents oxidative damage induced by maternal ethanol administration and reduces homocysteine in the cerebellum of rat pups

Chronic alcoholism leads to elevated plasma and brain homocysteine (Hey) levels, as demonstrated by animal experiments. This study was designed to evaluate the alterations in offspring rat cerebellum following increase of plasma Hey level induced by maternal exposure to ethanol and to investigate the possible protective role of melatonin administration upon cerebellar ethanol-induced neurotoxicity. The adult female rats were divided randomly into 4 groups, including one control and three experimental groups, after vaginal plagues. Group I received normal saline, group II received ethanol (4 g/kg), group III received ethanol + melatonin (10 mg/kg) and group IV received melatonin on day 6 of gestation until weaning. 21 days afterbirth, plasma Hcy level, level of lipid peroxidation, the activities of several antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and levels of bcl-2 and bax mRNA expression in cerebellum were determined. Our results demonstrated that ethanol could induce lipid peroxidation, and decrease antioxidants activities and increase plasma total Hcy level. We also observed that ethanol impaired performance on the rotarod and locomotor activities of rats. However, treatment with melatonin significantly attenuated motoric impairment, the lipid peroxidation process and restored the levels of antioxidant activities and significantly reduced plasma total Hcy levels. Moreover, melatonin reduced bax/bcl-2 ratio in the presence of ethanol. We conclude that these results provide evidence that ethanol neurotoxicity in part is related to increase of plasma Hcy levels and melatonin with reducing of plasma Hey level has neuroprotective effects against ethanol toxicity in cerebellum. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.