Lv Juanxiu, Mao Caiping, Zhu Liyan, Zhang Hong, Pengpeng Hui, Xu Feichao, Liu Yujuan, Zhang Lubo, Xu Zhice
Perinatal Research Laboratory, Soochow University School of Medicine, Suzhou, China.
Neurotoxicology. 2008 Jul;29(4):722-6. doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2008.04.015. Epub 2008 May 2.
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 PO2, increased fetal blood PCO2 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 alpha2, alpha4, alpha7, and beta2 units were significantly increased in the brain by prenatal exposure to nicotine in rat fetuses. However, the expression of mRNA of fetal brain alpha3, alpha5, beta3, and beta4 units were not changed. The results showed that prenatal nicotine can change the development of both alpha and beta subunits of nAChRs in the fetal brain at gene level in association with restriction of fetal brain growth and in utero hypoxia.
先前的研究表明，产前暴露于尼古丁与胎儿的异常发育有关，包括胎儿脑损伤。本研究确定了母体在不同孕期给予尼古丁对胎鼠脑尼古丁受体亚基的影响。在妊娠早期和中期对母鼠进行皮下注射尼古丁，可降低胎儿血氧分压，增加胎儿血二氧化碳分压和血红蛋白含量，并降低胎儿脑重量。孕期产前给予尼古丁治疗可显著改变胎脑烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体（nAChRs）的mRNA丰度。产前暴露于尼古丁的大鼠胎儿脑中，胎儿α2、α4、α7和β2亚基显著增加。然而，胎儿脑α3、α5、β3和β4亚基的mRNA表达没有变化。结果表明，产前尼古丁可在基因水平上改变胎脑nAChRsα和β亚基的发育，这与胎儿脑生长受限和宫内缺氧有关。
