The effect of prenatal nicotine on expression of nicotine receptor subunits in the fetal brain

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that prenatal exposure to nicotine is associated with abnormal development in fetuses, including fetal brain damage. The present study determined the effect of maternal administration of nicotine during different gestational periods on brain nicotine receptor subunits in fetal rats. Subcutaneous injections of nicotine in maternal rats from the early and middle gestation decreased fetal blood PO 2 , increased fetal blood PCO 2 and hemoglobin, and decreased fetal brain weight. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChRs) mRNA abundance in the fetal brain was significantly changed by prenatal treatment with nicotine during pregnancy. Fetal α2, α4, α7, and β2 units were significantly increased in the brain by prenatal exposure to nicotine in rat fetuses. However, the expression of mRNA of fetal brain α3, α5, β3, and β4 units were not changed. The results showed that prenatal nicotine can change the development of both α and β subunits of nAChRs in the fetal brain at gene level in association with restriction of fetal brain growth and in utero hypoxia.

Role of Perinatal Adversities on Tic Severity and Symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents With a Tic Disorder

“…20 The effects of pregnancy and delivery complications and smoking exposure in utero may be understood through fetal hypoxia. 21 The basal ganglia, which have been implicated in the etiology of tic disorders, 2 are particularly sensitive to hypoxia. 22 Pregnancy and delivery complications could result in damage of the basal ganglia in the course of acute metabolic insults, such as transient fetal hypoxia.…”

“…Prenatal nicotine exposure can change the expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the fetal brain possibly as a result of chronic hypoxia or direct toxic effects of nicotine. 21,25 Animal studies have shown that nicotine exposure results in modulation of the dopaminergic system, probably mediated by subunits of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. 26,27 Apart form the direct consequences of nicotine, associations between prenatal smoking exposure and psychiatric disorders may also be understood through factors often found associated with smoking, such as low socioeconomic status and presence of psychiatric disorders in parents.…”

Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Risk of Alcohol Use Disorders Among Adult Offspring

“…Some evidence for a direct path from MSP to increased subsequent substance use has been found in animal studies. For example, after being exposed to nicotine in utero, nicotine receptors (Lv et al, 2008) and altered catecholamine systems (Dwyer et al, 2008) have been found in the brains of neonates. These infl uences on the developing brain could make offspring susceptible to substance use during adolescence and adulthood (Azam et al, 2007;Dwyer et al, 2008).…”

Altered dipsogenic responses and expression of angiotensin receptors in the offspring exposed to prenatal high sucrose

“…Since “Barker theory” was first introduced [2], accumulated evidence has demonstrated that prenatal insults may produce long-term impact on health after birth, and behavioral and physiological phenotypes could be “programmed” in fetal origins [18]. Recently, the development of the RAS in normal and abnormal patterns before birth has attracted great attention in link of adult diseases and health conditions [26].…”