title: Prenatal exposure to cocaine. I: Effects on gestation, development, and activity in Sprague-Dawley rats.
abstract: Sperm-positive Sprague-Dawley rats received one of four treatments for 20 days beginning within 24 hours of conception. One group received subcutaneous injections of 15 mg/kg cocaine twice daily (Cocaine-D); a second group received 15 mg/kg cocaine twice daily for two consecutive days at 5-day intervals (Cocaine-I); a third group received normal saline twice daily (Saline); and a fourth group received 1.5 mg/kg amfonelic acid (AFA), a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, once daily. Cocaine-D, Cocaine-I, and AFA dams were fed ad lib. An attempt was made to pair-feed the Saline dams with the Cocaine-D dams; however, the Saline dams did not eat as much as the Cocaine-D dams which resulted in dams in all groups essentially eating ad lib. The Cocaine-D pups showed a slightly delayed righting behavior and neophobia at 30 days of age, as evidenced by hypoactivity during the first 15 min of a 6-h activity test. The Cocaine-I pups were hypoactive during the 3-h dark phase of the 6-h activity test when tested at 30 days of age. These effects did not occur in the offspring exposed to AFA, a potent dopamine uptake inhibitor and CNS stimulant which indicate that one or more other sites for cocaine action may combine for its effects on the developing fetus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4354.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Johns
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Means
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Means
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: McMillen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003624:Darkness; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death; D008027:Light; D008098:Litter Size / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D009268:Nalidixic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D009287:Naphthyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012016:Reference Values; D012744:Sex Ratio; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D009287:Naphthyridines; D009268:Nalidixic Acid; D003042:Cocaine; C006486:amfonelic acid