title: Effects of prenatal morphine exposure on NK cytotoxicity and responsiveness to LPS in rats.
abstract: Prenatal exposure to opiates can adversely affect fetal development, resulting in long-term growth retardation and impairments in physiological and behavioral functions. In the present study we studied long-term effects of prenatal morphine exposure on immune functions, including the activity of natural killer (NK) cells and the febrile and behavioral responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Pregnant Fischer 344 rats were given increasing doses of morphine in slow release emulsion during gestational days 12-18. Control rats were injected with vehicle and were either pair fed to morphine rats or fed ad lib. Postnatal experiments were conducted when offspring were 10-12 weeks old. Compared to both control groups, rats prenatally exposed to morphine exhibited: 1) suppressed cytotoxic activity of NK cells; 2) reduced LPS-induced fever measured by a biotelemetric system; 3) reduced hyperalgesia measured by the hot-plate test at 30 min, and augmented hypoalgesia at 2-6 h post-LPS; 4) higher open-field activity in saline-treated animals, and more pronounced suppression of activity in LPS-injected animals; 5) LPS-induced reduction of food consumption, body weight, and social exploration, which did not differ from the reduction observed in control animals. These findings indicate that prenatal exposure to morphine induces long-term impairment of host-defense mechanisms, which may render the offspring more susceptible to infectious diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shavit
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gagin
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Avitsur
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pollak
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chaikin
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yirmiya
mesh_terms: D000698:Analgesia; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007121:Immunocompetence / Q000187:drug effects; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000633:toxicity*; D009020:Morphine / Q000633:toxicity*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D012919:Social Behavior; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D009020:Morphine; C027538:heat-labile enterotoxin, E coli