Cited by 101Prenatal Substance Exposure EffectsNicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors StudySmoking Behavior and Cessation

Effects of prenatal nicotine exposure on primate brain development and attempted amelioration with supplemental choline or vitamin c: neurotransmitter receptors, cell signaling and cell development biomarkers in fetal brain regions of rhesus monkeys

Slotkin, Theodore A, Seidler, Frederic J, Qiao, Dan, Aldridge, Justin E, Tate, Charlotte A, Cousins, Mandy M, Proskocil, Becky J, Sekhon, Harmanjatinder S +3 more·2005·Neuropsychopharmacology

Abstract

Studies in developing rodents indicate that nicotine is a neuroteratogen that disrupts brain development by stimulating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) that control neural cell replication and differentiation. We administered nicotine to pregnant Rhesus monkeys from gestational day 30 through 160 by continuous infusion, achieving maternal plasma levels comparable to those in smokers (30 ng/ml). Fetal brain regions and peripheral tissues were examined for nAChR subtypes, other neurotransmitter receptors, and indices of cell signaling and cell damage. Nicotine evoked nAChR upregulation, but with distinct regional disparities indicative of selective stimulatory responses. Similarly, indices of cell loss (reduced DNA), cell size and neuritic outgrowth (protein/DNA and membrane/total protein ratios) were distinct for each region and did not necessarily follow the rank order of nAChR upregulation, suggesting the involvement of additional mechanisms such as oxidative stress. We then attempted to offset the adverse effects of nicotine with standard dietary supplements known to interact with nicotine. By itself, choline elicited nicotine-like actions commensurate with its promotion of cholinergic neurotransmission. When given in combination with nicotine, choline protected some regions from damage but worsened nicotine's effects in other regions. Similarly, Vitamin C supplementation had mixed effects, increasing nAChR responses while providing protection from cell damage in the caudate, the brain region most susceptible to oxidative stress. Our results indicate that nicotine elicits neurodevelopmental damage that is highly selective for different brain regions, and that dietary supplements ordinarily thought to be neuroprotectant may actually worsen some of the adverse effects of nicotine on the fetal brain.

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Crossref · 10.1038/sj.npp.1300544

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Authors
Slotkin, T. A., Seidler, F. J., Qiao, D., Aldridge, J. E., Tate, C. A., Cousins, M. M., Proskocil, B. J., Sekhon, H. S., Clark, J. A., Lupo, S. L., & Spindel, E. R.
Affiliations
  • Duke Medical Center (US)
  • Oregon National Primate Research Center (US)
Corresponding author
Slotkin, Theodore A
Venue
Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
2004-08-18
Volume
30
Issue
1
Pages
129-144
ISSN
  • 0893-133X (ISSN-L)
  • 1740-634X
OpenAlex
W2023016145
Cited by
101
References
104
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 4
FWCI
7.06
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (RR 00163)
  • Oregon National Primate Research Center (RR00163)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (ES 07031, T32ES007031)
  • National Center for Research Resources (RR-00163.)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD/HL-37131)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
Keywords
prenatal nicotine exposure, fetal brain development, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, rhesus monkeys, choline supplementation, vitamin C supplementation, neuroprotection, oxidative stress, signal transduction, cell damage, caudate nucleus, neurotransmitter receptors
MeSH terms
Adenylyl Cyclases, Animals, Antioxidants, Ascorbic Acid, Brain, Choline, DNA, Female, Heart, Macaca mulatta, Nicotine, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Signal Transduction, Biomarkers, Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances, Receptors, Neurotransmitter, Oxidative Stress, Nootropic Agents, Nicotinic Agonists

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