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Perinatal nicotine exposure induces asthma in second generation offspring
Virender K Rehan1, Jie Liu, Erum Naeem
1Department of Pediatrics, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center at David Geffen School of Medicine, 1124 West Carson Street, Torrance 90502, USA. vrehan@labiomed.org
BMC Medicine
|October 31, 2012
Summary
Perinatal nicotine exposure primes offspring for asthma, and these effects are passed to the next generation via germline epigenetic marks. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonists can reverse these asthma-related changes.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Epigenetics
- Respiratory medicine
Background:
- Perinatal nicotine exposure disrupts fetal lung development, increasing asthma risk in offspring.
- The transgenerational effects of nicotine-induced asthma and the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonists are unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transgenerational impact of perinatal nicotine exposure on asthma risk.
- To determine if PPARγ agonists can mitigate nicotine-induced asthma phenotypes in offspring and subsequent generations.
Main Methods:
- Rat dams received nicotine or placebo during gestation and lactation.
- Offspring (F1 and F2 generations) underwent pulmonary function tests and molecular analyses (DNA methylation, histone acetylation).
- PPARγ agonist (rosiglitazone) was administered to assess its effects on nicotine-induced changes.
Main Results:
- Nicotine exposure impaired lung function and increased tracheal constriction and contractile proteins in F1 and F2 offspring.
- These effects were transmitted across generations without direct nicotine exposure in F1 pregnancy.
- PPARγ agonist normalized most epigenetic changes and lung function alterations, except for histone 4 acetylation in the lung.
Conclusions:
- Germline epigenetic marks from perinatal nicotine exposure can be transmitted to subsequent generations, altering asthma risk.
- This transgenerational epigenetic inheritance provides a new perspective on asthma development.
- PPARγ agonists show potential in reversing these detrimental effects.
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