The protective role of squalene in alcohol damage in the chick embryo retina.

The developing CNS, and in particular the visual system, is very sensitive to the effects of alcohol. Alcohol causes lipid peroxidation. Squalene, the major olive oil hydrocarbon, is a quencher of singlet oxygen and prevents the corresponding lipid peroxidation.

Alcohol-induced lipid and morphological changes in chick retinal development.

Background: Alcohol exposure causes alterations in the lipid content of different organs and a reduction of long-chain fatty acids. During embryo development, the central nervous system is extremely vulnerable to the teratogenic effects of alcohol, and the visual system is particularly sensitive.

Methods: White Leghorn chick embryos were injected with 10- and 20-microl alcohol doses into the yolk sac at day 6 of incubation.