title: Effect of prenatal imipramine exposure on development of the postnatal rat heart and brain.
abstract: Imipramine (IMI) was administered s.c. at 0, 5, or 10 mg/kg/day to pregnant rats on gestation days 8-20 to assess possible alterations in postnatal heart and brain development. Maternal weight gain was significantly reduced in a dose-response manner, but litter size and pup weight on postnatal day (PND) 1 were unaffected. On PND 1, litters were culled to 10 pups for analysis on PNDs 4/5, 7/8, 14/15, and 21/22. Pup body weight was not affected at any age measured, but heart weight was significantly reduced at 10 mg/kg IMI on PNDs 4/5 and 7/8. Brain weight was increased in a dose-related pattern on PNDs 4/5 and 7/8 and was significantly higher at 5 mg/kg IMI on PND 14/15. No significant effect was observed in heart or brain protein and DNA content or in cardiac beta-adrenergic receptor concentration. Prenatal IMI exposure had no effect on basal cardiac ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), an enzyme associated with growth and development, but basal brain ODC was lower at 5 mg/kg IMI at all ages measured. Cardiac ODC stimulation by insulin was unaffected by prenatal exposure to IMI, but isoproterenol-stimulated ODC was increased on PND 21/22 at 5 mg/kg IMI. In conclusion, the IMI-related changes in several parameters suggest that when maternal IMI treatment is used, alterations in postnatal heart and brain development must be considered as possible outcomes.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D004082:Dihydroalprenolol / Q000378:metabolism; D000518:Eflornithine; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D007099:Imipramine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008098:Litter Size / Q000187:drug effects; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D009952:Ornithine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D065108:Ornithine Decarboxylase Inhibitors; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D065108:Ornithine Decarboxylase Inhibitors; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; D004082:Dihydroalprenolol; D009952:Ornithine; D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase; D007099:Imipramine; D000518:Eflornithine