Assessment of selenium protectivity against ethanol-induced alterations and dysmorphogenesis in postimplantation mouse embryos and some histological features of the placenta

This study aimed to assess the protective capabilities of maternal supplementation of selenium (Se) on ethanol-induced dysmorphogenesis in embryonic day (E.D.) 10.5 mouse embryos. Thirty six-weeks-old female mice were randomly assigned to five experimental groups, one served as the negative control group (Control Group received commercial pellet and distilled water) and the another served as the positive control (ETOH Group commercial pellet and 20% ETOH), and treated groups (SeRDA Group received 0.2mcg Se + distilled water SeRDAOH Group 0.2-mcg Se + 20% ETOH and HSeOH Group 2 mcg Se + 20% ethanol). All groups were given access to commercial pellet and drinking water and/or ethanol ad libitum. Samples were sacrificed after 10.5 of gestation obtaining the embryos and the placenta. E.D. 10.5 embryos were evaluated based on quantitative parameters (embryo weight, head length and crown-rump length) and morphological scoring system (brain vesicles, sensory vesicles, flexion and somites). Placental blood vessels were identified from histologically processed samples. Embryo weight, head length, and crown-rump length of the embryos from the SeRDA, SeRDAOH and HSeRDAOH groups, were comparable to the CON group and significantly higher than that of the ETOH group. For all the brain vesicles, SeRDA group was comparable to that of the CON group. However, for the SeRDAOH group, both the forebrain and the hindbrain mean scores were comparable to that of the CON group while the midbrain mean score was significantly different to that of the CON group. Both ETOH and HSeRDAOH groups was significantly different from that of the CON group. Results obtained for the sensory vesicles, flexion and somites shows that only the ETOH group was significantly different from the CON group. Overall, the results indicate that RDA dosage of Selenium (0.2og) had demonstrated its protective effect on ethanol-induced dysmorphogenesis, at postimplantation stage, efficiently