Effects of prenatal caffeine administration on offspring mortality, open-field behavior and adult gastric ulcer susceptibility.
Pregnant rats were given caffeine (0.0%, 0.017%, 0.034% or 0.05%) in their drinking water throughout gestation. Offspring were cross-fostered to non-caffeine-treated mothers at birth. A dose-related increase in offspring mortality was observed at 24 hr and at 10 days post partum. Prenatal caffeine exposure did not significantly influence open-field ambulation or defecation when tested at 48, 68, or 196 days of age. A significant dose-related increase in restraint-stress gastric ulcer susceptibility was detected at 200 days of age. Offspring from rats treated with 0.05% caffeine during pregnancy, developed significantly more frequent and significantly more severe gastric lesions than did offspring from control rats or from rats prenatally exposed to 0.017% and 0.034% caffeine. Prenatal caffeine exposure may: (1) predispose organisms to increased gastric disease susceptibility as adults and (2) interfere with neonatal feeding ability and thereby produce infant mortality.
D000818:Animals; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002110:Caffeine / Q000633:toxicity*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D008098:Litter Size; D009026:Mortality; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000209:etiology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000150:complications
D002110:Caffeine