Prenatal nicotine exposure retards osteoclastogenesis and endochondral ossification in fetal long bones in rats

This study investigated the mechanisms underlying the retarded development of long bone in fetus by prenatal nicotine exposure (PNE) which had been demonstrated by our previous work. Nicotine (2.0 mg/kg.d) or saline was injected subcutaneously into pregnant rats every morning from gestational day (GD) 9 to 20. Fetal femurs or tibias were harvested for analysis on GD 20. We found massive accumulation of hypertrophic chondrocytes and a delayed formation of primary ossification center (POC) in the fetal femur or tibia of rat fetus after PNE, which was accompanied by a decreased amount of osteoclasts in the POC and up-regulated expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) but by no obvious change in the expression of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL). In primary osteoblastic cells, both nicotine (0, 162, 1620, 16,200 ng/ml) and corticosterone (0, 50, 250, 1250 nM) promoted the mRNA expression of OPG but concentration-dependently suppressed that of RANKL. Furthermore, blocking α4β2-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α4β2-nAChR) or glucocorticoid receptor rescued the above effects of nicotine and corticosterone, respectively. In conclusion, retarded osteoclastogenesis may contribute to delayed endochondral ossification in long bone in fetal rats with PNE. The adverse effects of PNE may be mediated via the direct effect of nicotine and indirect effect of maternal corticosterone on osteoblastic cells.