期刊
TOXICS
卷 6, 期 4, 页码 -出版社
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/toxics6040063
关键词
nicotine; nicotinic acetylcholine receptors; immunohistochemistry; sudden fetal death; sudden neonatal death; brainstem; Kolliker-Fuse nucleus
Among the neurotoxicants contained in tobacco smoke, if absorbed during pregnancy, nicotine significantly affects alpha 7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which play essential roles in the development of the brainstem regions receiving cholinergic projections in perinatal life. Immunohistochemical procedures for analysing formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded brainstem samples from 68 fetuses and early newborns, with smoking and non-smoking mothers, who died of known and unknown causes, were carried out in order to determine if nicotine had activated the alpha 7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. High alpha 7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor expression levels were only observed in the victims with smoking mothers. Frequently, these findings were associated with the hypoplasia of the brainstem structures controlling vital functions. The results of this study indicate that the exposition to nicotine in pregnancy exerts a strong direct effect on alpha 7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor activity especially in perinatal life and may be one of the primary risk factors leading to the sudden unexplained death of fetuses and newborns.
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