University of Louisville
Impact of Developmental Cigarette Smoke Exposure on Offspring Mortality and Motor Development
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Neuroscience
Minor
Biology
Institution 23-24
University of Louisville
KY House District #
37
KY Senate District #
38
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Cynthia Corbitt
Department
Biology
Abstract
Kentucky has the second highest rate of maternal cigarette smoking in the country at 15.7%, though the true number is likely higher due to inaccurate self-reports. Constituents of cigarette smoke like nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar not only can adversely affect the adult smoker but also pose a significant threat to embryonic and fetal development. Children born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to be born prematurely and/or underweight, or with physical abnormalities.
We developed a revised cigarette smoke exposure (CSE) model lasting 3hrs/day, contrasting with our previous 6hr exposure model, with the goal of assessing whether this new model yields similar outcomes to the 6hr model. Female C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to cigarette smoke (CSE, n=30) or filtered room air (Sham, n = 20) for 3hrs/day starting at 4 days prior to mating and continuing until the day before delivery. Measures analyzed include birth weight and weight gain, eye opening, surface righting, postnatal survival, % fat accumulation, and parameters of liver damage found in plasma after euthanization.
We hypothesized that even a moderate daily exposure duration would result in decreased maternal fertility, offspring viability, and delay reflex development. We report a higher postnatal mortality rate in CSE offspring, usually due to failure to thrive. A sex-dependent effect of prenatal CSE on motor development was observed through surface righting on postnatal days 3–8 (p=0.03). We conclude that our cigarette smoking model is sufficient to produce increased offspring mortality and a delay in postnatal motor development, even in the absence of postnatal exposure. We are currently testing prenatal CSE effects on adult metabolic response to a high-fat, high-fructose diet.
Funding: NIH R15ES028440-02A1
Impact of Developmental Cigarette Smoke Exposure on Offspring Mortality and Motor Development
Kentucky has the second highest rate of maternal cigarette smoking in the country at 15.7%, though the true number is likely higher due to inaccurate self-reports. Constituents of cigarette smoke like nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar not only can adversely affect the adult smoker but also pose a significant threat to embryonic and fetal development. Children born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to be born prematurely and/or underweight, or with physical abnormalities.
We developed a revised cigarette smoke exposure (CSE) model lasting 3hrs/day, contrasting with our previous 6hr exposure model, with the goal of assessing whether this new model yields similar outcomes to the 6hr model. Female C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to cigarette smoke (CSE, n=30) or filtered room air (Sham, n = 20) for 3hrs/day starting at 4 days prior to mating and continuing until the day before delivery. Measures analyzed include birth weight and weight gain, eye opening, surface righting, postnatal survival, % fat accumulation, and parameters of liver damage found in plasma after euthanization.
We hypothesized that even a moderate daily exposure duration would result in decreased maternal fertility, offspring viability, and delay reflex development. We report a higher postnatal mortality rate in CSE offspring, usually due to failure to thrive. A sex-dependent effect of prenatal CSE on motor development was observed through surface righting on postnatal days 3–8 (p=0.03). We conclude that our cigarette smoking model is sufficient to produce increased offspring mortality and a delay in postnatal motor development, even in the absence of postnatal exposure. We are currently testing prenatal CSE effects on adult metabolic response to a high-fat, high-fructose diet.
Funding: NIH R15ES028440-02A1