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Chronic maternal nicotine exposure alters neuronal systems in the arcuate nucleus that regulate feeding behavior in the newborn rhesus macaque.
- Source :
-
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism [J Clin Endocrinol Metab] 2001 Nov; Vol. 86 (11), pp. 5420-6. - Publication Year :
- 2001
-
Abstract
- It is well known that maternal smoking during pregnancy can lead to low birth weight and low body fat in human newborns. The purpose of this study was to determine whether chronic maternal nicotine treatment alters levels of known regulators of energy balance in the newborn offspring. Pregnant rhesus monkeys were treated with nicotine tartrate (1.5 mg/kg x d) starting on d 26 of pregnancy and maintained through d 160 of gestation. Nicotine exposure had no significant effect on absolute birth weights of the neonatal monkeys, although there was a 10% reduction in birth weights with nicotine exposure when they were normalized to maternal weight. Postnatal d 1 plasma leptin levels were significantly reduced by about 50% in the nicotine treatment group compared with saline controls, suggesting that the infant monkeys exposed to nicotine may also have lower body fat levels. In situ hybridization studies demonstrated that chronic nicotine exposure resulted in a significant decrease in arcuate NPY mRNA expression in the neonatal monkeys. In addition, there was a 2-fold increase in POMC mRNA in the arcuate nucleus in the nicotine-exposed group. These data suggest that nicotine exposure during pregnancy may increase energy expenditure in the developing fetus through actions on hypothalamic systems, resulting in lower birth weights and body fat levels.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus cytology
Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus drug effects
Body Weight drug effects
Embryonic and Fetal Development drug effects
Female
Gestational Age
Hydrocortisone blood
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
In Situ Hybridization
Leptin blood
Macaca mulatta
Neurons drug effects
Neuropeptide Y metabolism
Pregnancy
Pro-Opiomelanocortin metabolism
RNA, Messenger biosynthesis
Animals, Newborn physiology
Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus physiology
Feeding Behavior physiology
Neurons physiology
Nicotine pharmacology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0021-972X
- Volume :
- 86
- Issue :
- 11
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 11701716
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem.86.11.8033