Ethanol abuse is a disorder that affects the world, potentially reaching people of both sexes, different ages, and socioeconomic conditions. Ethanol abusive use leads to serious deleterious effects on various organic systems, and the use of this substance by pregnant women can cause developmental and metabolic problems in the fetus, in addition to the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The prevalence of complete FAS is around 1 - 2 per 1000 births, and it occurs when the pregnant woman consumes a large amount of ethanol. However, it is still unknown whether there is a safe dose of ethanol that can be consumed during pregnancy and whether there are consequences of using low doses on development. In addition to problems during pregnancy, the lactation phase can also be harmed by ethanol consumption. Besides nutritional and immunoprotective functions, lactation also impacts the proper development of the central nervous system of newborns. However, there are few reports on the consequences of ethanol consumption by the mother during this period. The existing reports are scarce, especially regarding evaluation of the consequences in periods after birth. Objectives: Investigate the effects of the consumption of low and high concentrations of ethanol by mothers during pregnancy and lactation on rat offspring. We analyzed nutritional parameters of the mother and pups, maternal behavior, and physical and neurobehavioral development of the offspring. The rats were allocated to one of four groups: Ethanol (2% ≈ 2.3 g/kg/day or 12% ≈ 10.1 g/kg/day), Control (pups without treatment that were subjected to tests), and Unmanipulated Control (pups that were not subjected to tests or treatment). Results: The mothers in the 12% EtOH group showed a reduction in liquid consumption, feed intake, and calories consumed, mainly during lactation. The pups in the 2% EtOH and 12% EtOH groups showed delays in physical development parameters, such as the appearance of lanugo and ear opening. Conclusion: Ethanol causes harm to the offspring development, with a greater impact on females. However, further investigations are needed to determine whether these changes extend into adulthood. In any case, our results provide evidence for the recommendation to avoid ethanol consumption, even in low concentrations, during pregnancy and lactation.
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