Effects of maternal nicotine exposure during lactation on breast-fed rat pups.
BACKGROUND
Nicotine is known to be associated with adverse effects in infants and children. It is concentrated in breast milk and is absorbed by the infant. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on breast-fed rat pups of maternal nicotine exposure during lactation.


METHODS
In the experimental group (n = 6), nicotine was given to lactating dams (2 mg/kg/day) after delivery and continued for 10 days during lactation. Control animals (n = 4) received saline for the same duration. The suckling rats were weighed and killed on postnatal day 10, and samples were taken from the lung, liver, kidney, spleen and small intestine for histopathological examination. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured in the liver of the dam and the offspring.


RESULTS
Histopathological changes in the liver of the nicotine-exposed group showed portal inflammatory infiltrate, ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes, and focal necrosis in the parenchyma. Thickening of alveolar walls because of interstitial inflammation was noted in the lungs. Histopathological examination of kidney, spleen and small intestine tissue did not reveal any abnormality. In the experimental group, SOD and CAT activities were significantly decreased (p <0.001) but MDA levels were significantly increased (p <0.001) compared with the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that maternal nicotine exposure induces oxidative stress and causes detrimental histopathological changes in the lung and liver of lactating offspring.
Ozokutan
Bülent Hayri
BH
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Gaziantep University Medical Faculty, Gaziantep, Turkey. ozokutan@hotmail.com
Ozkan
K Uğur
KU
Sari
Ibrahim
I
Inanç
Fatma
F
Güldür
M Emin
ME
Kilinç
Metin
M
D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects*; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects*; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry; D009538:Nicotine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats
D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D009538:Nicotine