Fertility, maternal care, and offspring behavior in mice prenatally treated with tobacco smoke

Abstract

Female mice from lines selectivity bred for differences in open‐field activity were exposed to tobacco smoke during gestation. Smoke‐treated females were less likely than controls to have produced litters by 23 days after observation of a vaginal plug. Within the high‐active line, fewer pups of smoke‐treated dams survived to weaning. Regardless of treatment, fewer high‐active than low‐active offspring survived to weaning. Results of a 4‐day series of open‐field activity tests administered to offspring beginning at 28 days of age indicated that tobacco smoke administered prenatally and/or during testing depresses open‐field activity in both lines. Other activity tests administered at 50 days of age gave similar results. Tissue nicotine levels after nicotine injection tended to be higher in high‐active and control groups than in low‐active and smoke‐treated groups, respectively. Liver weight expressed as percentage of body weight was 11.9% greater in smoke‐treated animals than in controls.