Hepatotoxicity of prenatal and postnatal exposure to nicotine in rat pups

Prenatal and postnatal exposure to nicotine have been shown to affect developing tissues in growing animals. Rat pups were exposed to nicotine prenatally and/or postnatally for 10 days by feeding pregnant and lactating rat dams water containing 0, 54, or 108 microM of nicotine. Nicotine exposure did not affect either litter sizes or body weights at birth and at 10 days of age. Exposure to 108 microM of nicotine prenatally increased significantly the incidence of focal necrosis at birth, and the liver damage was still evident at 10 days of age even after the pups were allowed to suckle dams not exposed to any nicotine during the study period. Continuation of nicotine exposure postnatally increased the incidence and severity of focal and confluent necrosis. Postnatal exposure to 108 microM of nicotine to pups not previously exposed also increased the incidence of mild focal and confluent necrosis, although not significantly. Exposure to nicotine prenatally did not affect liver malondialdehyde (MDA) levels at birth. However, liver MDA was significantly lower in rat pups exposed to nicotine prenatally when they were 10 days of age irrespective of whether there were further exposure to nicotine postnatally. Reasons for the late onset of the low MDA levels need further investigation. Postnatal nicotine exposure to either 54 or 108 microM of nicotine to pups not previously exposed fails to affect liver MDA at 10 days of age. The significant decrease in hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels reflects those of hepatic injury, indicating the possibility of a nicotine-induced downregulation of SOD enzyme production.