title: Chronic exposure to cigarette smoke during gestation results in altered cholinesterase enzyme activity and behavioral deficits in adult rat offspring: potential relevance to schizophrenia.
abstract: Prenatal cigarette smoke exposure (PCSE) has been associated with physiological and developmental changes that may be related to an increased risk for childhood and adult neuropsychiatric diseases. The present study investigated locomotor activity and cholinesterase enzyme activity in rats, following PCSE and/or ketamine treatment in adulthood. Pregnant female Wistar rats were exposed to 12 commercially filtered cigarettes per day for a period of 28 days. We evaluated motor activity and cholinesterase activity in the brain and serum of adult male offspring that were administered acute subanesthetic doses of ketamine (5, 15 and 25 mg/kg), which serves as an animal model of schizophrenia. To determine locomotor activity, we used the open field test. Cholinesterase activity was assessed by hydrolysis monitored spectrophotometrically. Our results show that both PCSE and ketamine treatment in the adult offspring induced increase of locomotor activity. Additionally, it was observed increase of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase activity in the brain and serum, respectively. We demonstrated that animals exposed to cigarettes in the prenatal period had increased the risk for psychotic symptoms in adulthood. This also occurs in a dose-dependent manner. These changes provoke molecular events that are not completely understood and may result in abnormal behavioral responses found in neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Neurociências, Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Translacional em Medicina (INCT-TM), and Núcleo de Excelência em Neurociências Aplicadas de Santa Catarina (NENASC), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Unidade Acadêmica de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, 88806-000 Criciúma, SC, Brazil. alz@unesc.net
authors.forename: Alexandra I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Zugno
authors.forename: Daiane B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Fraga
authors.forename: Renata D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.forename: Fernando V
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Ghedim
authors.forename: Pedro F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Deroza
authors.forename: Andreza L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Cipriano
authors.forename: Mariana B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Alexandra S A
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Heylmann
authors.forename: Josiane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Budni
authors.forename: Renan P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quevedo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002802:Cholinesterases / Q000187:drug effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007649:Ketamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000201:enzymology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012906:Smoke / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D012906:Smoke; D007649:Ketamine; D002802:Cholinesterases