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Published on: July 13, 2014
Chronic prenatal exposure to phenobarbital and long-term behavior effects on mice offspring
H D Christensen1, C L Gonzalez, W F Rayburn
1Department of Pharmacology/Toxicology, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Objective:
To assess the impact of chronic prenatal exposure to phenobarbital on long-term behavior in mice offspring.
Methods:
Twenty-eight C3H/He mice were randomized to receive diet chow containing either a daily therapeutic dose of phenobarbital (2.5 mg in 10-g chow) or a placebo for 1 week before mating and throughout gestation. Offspring from eight litters of each treatment group were evaluated using motor function, arousal/motivation, anxiety-provoking and cognition tasks.
Results:
No significant differences between groups were found in duration of gestation, litter size and birth weights. Fewer counts in a locomotor chamber were observed in phenobarbital-exposed offspring (524 +/- 31 vs. 688 +/- 54 for 60 min, p < 0.02; 4174 +/- 229 vs. 5230 +/- 406 for 22 h, p < 0.05). Initial reactions to a startle were more apparent among phenobarbital-exposed offspring (p < 0.03). Impaired co-ordination of hindlimbs was observed in the phenobarbital-exposed offspring during the wire maneuver (p < 0.001). Fewer entries into the mirrored chamber were observed after phenobarbital exposure (2.1 vs. 4.5; p < 0.05). Exposure to phenobarbital was not found to affect responses to learning and memory tasks (homing, tube runway, water runway, Morris maze).
Conclusion:
Although cognition was unaffected by prenatal exposure to phenobarbital, subtle effects on locomotor activity, hindlimb co-ordination and responses to anxiety-provoking conditions require human correlation.
