Transient suppression of late-stage neuronal progenitor cell differentiation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of rat offspring after maternal exposure to nicotine

To examine the developmental exposure effect of nicotine (NIC) on hippocampal neurogenesis, pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats were treated with (−)-NIC hydrogen tartrate salt through drinking water at 2, 10 or 50 ppm from gestational day 6 to day 21 after delivery. On postnatal day (PND) 21, immunohistochemically doublecortin (Dcx)+ cells increased at ≥10 ppm in the dentate subgranular zone (SGZ) as examined in male offspring; however, dihydropyrimidinase-like 3 (TUC4)+ cells decreased at 2 ppm, and T box brain 2 (Tbr2)+ cells were unchanged at any dose. Double immunohistochemistry revealed decreases in TUC4+/Dcx+ and TUC4+/Dcx− cells, an increase in TUC4−/Dcx+ cells at 2 and 10 ppm and an increase in Tbr2−/Dcx+ cells at 50 ppm, suggesting an increase in type-3 progenitor cells at ≥2 ppm and decrease in immature granule cells at 2 and 10 ppm. The number of mature neuron-specific NeuN− progenitor cells expressing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α7 in the SGZ and mRNA levels of Chrna7 and Chrnb2 in the dentate gyrus was unchanged at any dose, suggesting a lack of direct nicotinic stimulation on progenitor cells. In the dentate hilus, glutamic acid decarboxylase 67+ interneurons increased at ≥10 ppm. All changes disappeared on PND 77. Therefore, maternal exposure to NIC reversibly affects hippocampal neurogenesis targeting late-stage differentiation in rat offspring. An increase in interneurons suggested that their activation affected granule cell differentiation. The lowest observed adverse effect level was at 2 ppm (0.091 mg/kg/day as a free base) by the affection of hippocampal neurogenesis at ≥2 ppm.