Perinatal nicotine exposure delays genital development in mice.
BACKGROUND
Smoking has well-recognized endocrine disrupting effects in humans that have been linked specifically to nicotine in animal models. Nicotine's perinatal effects on genital development in mice, which is interpreted as a measure of endocrine disrupting activity, were evaluated in this report.


METHODS
Pregnant C57B/6J dams were administered 50 microg/ml nicotine in drinking water from gestational day 9 until pups were weaned. Their pups' anogenital distances and weights were measured at birth and at weaning. A subset of the pups was weighed again in adulthood.


RESULTS
Female and male mice had significantly reduced anogenital distance at birth; however, by 34 days of age, differences in anogenital distance were no longer apparent, while body weight, which had been equal at birth and weaning, was significantly reduced in mice exposed to perinatal nicotine.


CONCLUSIONS
Perinatal nicotine exposure significantly delayed genital development and altered adolescent body weight in this model.
Gyekis
Joseph
J
Center for Developmental and Health Genetics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Anthony
Kate
K
Foreman
Jennifer E
JE
Klein
Laura Cousino
LC
Vandenbergh
David J
DJ
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009538:Nicotine / Q000633:toxicity*; D036801:Parturition / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D014026:Nicotiana; D014886:Weaning
D009538:Nicotine