Effect of nicotine exposure during gestation on neonatal rat ovaries

The purpose of present study was to investigate effects of nicotine on follicular development in the neonatal rats. In this study, 14 adult Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 230-260 g (+/- 10 g) were used as experimental animal. After detecting pregnancies with vaginal smear method, pregnant rats were two equal groups were separated. The pregnant females were treated with the nicotine for 21 days and litters were sacrificed at first day of birth. The ovaries of litters were processed through routine paraffin embedding method, serially sectioned by microtome, stained with hematoxylin-Eosin and immunohistochemical technique investigated by light microscope. In the ovary of group treated nicotine, Preventing follicular development was observed in granular degeneration and luteal cells. It was also observed in inflammation and bleeding vessels. Immunohistochemical localization of vimentin was restricted to the granulosa cells and stromal area. Nicotine treatment group in granular cells and luteal cells in E-cadherin expression was weak. We concluded that nicotine might affect the cellular junctions in the ovarian follicular development. The high intensity in the staining with vimentin observed in the granulosa cells of the follicles is probably due to functional changes that occur during the process of cystogenesis.