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Effects of pregnancy on nicotine self-administration and nicotine pharmacokinetics in rats

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Abstract

Rationale

Because of the adverse effects of smoking during pregnancy, understanding the factors that influence maternal smoking may help in developing better treatments to help women quit smoking during pregnancy. Animal models could be useful for this purpose.

Objective

The purpose of the present study was to begin the development of an animal model of smoking during pregnancy by initially characterizing nicotine self-administration (NSA) in pregnant rats. Another purpose was to begin to explore the effects of pregnancy on nicotine pharmacokinetics in rats.

Materials and methods

In experiment 1, female rats self-administering nicotine during 23-h sessions were examined throughout gestation and lactation. In experiment 2, locomotor activity was measured during pregnancy to assess further potential motor effects of pregnancy. Experiments 3 and 4 compared the single-dose pharmacokinetics of nicotine in male, nonpregnant female, and pregnant females in the first and third trimester of pregnancy and the first week of lactation.

Results

NSA decreased over the course of pregnancy with NSA significantly lower in the third trimester compared to nonpregnant controls. NSA remained suppressed for up to 10 days into lactation. Locomotor behavior was also significantly suppressed during the second and third trimesters and throughout lactation. Nicotine elimination was slower in pregnant females compared to nonpregnant females only in the third trimester.

Conclusions

NSA, locomotor behavior, and nicotine elimination in rats are decreased during late pregnancy. The present study is the first to characterize NSA during pregnancy in animals, providing a potential model of maternal smoking in humans.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Cormac Kehoe, Matthew Dufek, Thomas Bramwell, and Dr. Victoria Kane for their technical assistance during the course of these experiments. The authors also thank Dr. Sharon Murphy for the helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. This study was supported by NIDA grants P50-DA013333 and DA15668.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, 914 South 8th Street, D3-860, Minneapolis, MN, 55404, USA

    Mark G. LeSage, Daniel E. Keyler, Danielle Burroughs & Paul R. Pentel

  2. Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Mark G. LeSage & Paul R. Pentel

  3. Department of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, 55404, USA

    Paul R. Pentel

Authors
  1. Mark G. LeSage
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  2. Daniel E. Keyler
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  3. Danielle Burroughs
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  4. Paul R. Pentel
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Correspondence to Mark G. LeSage.

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LeSage, M.G., Keyler, D.E., Burroughs, D. et al. Effects of pregnancy on nicotine self-administration and nicotine pharmacokinetics in rats. Psychopharmacology 194, 413–421 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0830-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0830-z

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