title: Comparative effects of prenatal cocaine, alcohol, and undernutrition on maternal/fetal toxicity and fetal body composition in the Sprague-Dawley rat with observations on strain-dependent differences.
abstract: Pregnant rats received either 20, 30, 40, or 50 mg/kg cocaine HCl (SC) twice daily from gestation days 7 through 19. Pair-fed and untreated control groups and a group receiving 3.0 g/kg alcohol (PO) twice daily served as comparison groups. Females were sacrificed on gestation day 20 and the fetuses examined. Maternal weight gain and food consumption showed dose-dependent decreases. Maternal water consumption, by contrast, was significantly increased in the cocaine-treated animals and may reflect a diuretic effect. The maternal mortality rates in Sprague-Dawley rats were less than in two strains of Long-Evans rats, suggesting important strain-dependent differences in susceptibility to cocaine toxicity. Cocaine caused a significant dose-dependent decrease in fetal weights. Physical anomalies in the cocaine-exposed and alcohol-exposed fetuses included occasional hemorrhaging, edema, anophthalmia, and limb reduction. Despite increased maternal water consumption by cocaine-treated dams, there were no increases in fetal body water content. There were, however, significant decreases in fetal body fat content in the pair-fed, alcohol-treated, and two highest cocaine-treated groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Church
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Morbach
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Subramanian
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D003042:Cocaine / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004326:Drinking / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013045:Species Specificity; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D003042:Cocaine