Effects of a postnatal exposure to cigarette smoke on hypothalamic catecholamine nerve terminal systems and on neuroendocrine function in the postnatal and adult male rat. Evidence for long-term modulation of anterior pituitary function.

The purpose of this paper was to study the possible long-term effects of postnatal exposure to cigarette smoke. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to the smoke from 2 cigarettes (Kentucky reference IR-1 type) every morning from day 1 after birth for a period of 5, 10 or 20 days. The rats were decapitated 24 hours (5, 10 and 20 days of exposure), 1 week (20 days of exposure) or 7 months (20 days of exposure) after the last exposure. Using the Falck-Hillarp methodology in combination with quantitative histofluorimetry catecholamine levels and changes in catecholamine utilization (alpha MT-induced CA fluorescence disappearance) in discrete hypothalamic catecholamine nerve terminal systems were analysed. Serum prolactin, LH, TSH and corticosterone levels were determined by means of radioimmunoassay procedures. In the postnatal period serum LH levels were significantly increased 24 hours after a 10 and 20 day exposure to cigarette smoke. In adult life after a 20-day postnatal exposure to cigarette smoke a highly significant increase was observed in serum prolactin levels, which were unaltered by this exposure when measured in the postnatal period. Twenty-four hours following a 20-day postnatal exposure, catecholamine utilization was increased in the medial palisade zone of the median eminence and substantially reduced in the parvocellular and magnocellular parts of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus. One week and 7 months following a 20-day postnatal exposure to cigarette smoke no alterations were observed in catecholamine levels or utilization in various hypothalamic areas including the median eminence. All the above changes were observed in the presence of an unaltered development of body weight. The results indicate that marked but temporary increases in LH secretion occur 24 hours after a postnatal exposure to cigarette smoke, while increase in prolactin secretion only develop in adult life, when the maturational processes of the brain and/or the anterior pituitary gland are completed. Changes in catecholamine levels and utilization are found in discrete hypothalamic nerve terminal networks but do not play a major role in mediating the above changes in anterior pituitary function and are probably the result of a withdrawal phenomenon.