Aging-related changes in brain metabolism are altered by early developmental exposure to diazepam

To study the long-term effects of prenatal diazepam (DZ) exposure, 31P NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectra and levels of thiobarbituric acid (TBA)-reactive material were measured in the brains of rats from 3 to 26 months of age. In control rats, there were aging-related increases in levels of TBA-reactive material, decreases in intracellular pH (pHi) and alterations in phosphocreatine (PCr) utilization. Prenatal (late gestational) DZ exposure induced lasting, dose-related and age-related alterations in levels of TBA-reactive material and pHi. The results indicate that the prenatal chemical environment can influence cellular metabolism throughout the lifetime of the organism, and that the process of aging can in turn interact with the consequences of prenatal drug exposure.