Exposure to tobacco smoke during the early postnatal period modifies receptors and enzymes of the endocannabinoid system in the brainstem and striatum in mice. (1st March 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Torres, Larissa Helena; Balestrin, Natalia Trigo; Spelta, Lídia Emmanuela Wiazowski; Duro, Stephanie de Oliveira; Pistis, Marco; Marcourakis, Tania
• Is Part Of: Toxicology letters. Volume 302(2019)
• Page Start: 35
• Page End: 41
• Publication Date: 2019-03-01
• Subjects: Cigarette smoke -- Brain -- Endocannabinoid system -- Sudden infant death syndrome -- Addiction; Toxicology -- Periodicals; 363.179
• DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2018.12.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0378-4274

Abstract

Highlights: ETS exposure during the early postnatal period affected the endocannabinoid system. ETS exposure changed receptors, anabolic and catabolic enzymes of endocannabinoids. ETS effects were observed in striatum and brainstem from infancy to early adulthood. Abstract: Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure during brain development has been associated with several disorders, such as depression, anxiety, sudden infant death syndrome, and the predisposition to addiction. The endocannabinoid system plays an essential role in neuronal development. We investigated the effects of early postnatal ETS exposure on the endocannabinoid system in different brain regions. C57BL/6 J mice were exposed to ETS that was generated from 3R4F cigarettes from postnatal day 3 (P3) to P14. Receptors and enzymes of the endocannabinoid system were assessed in infancy, adolescence, and adulthood by Western blot. In the brainstem, ETS exposure decreased cannabinoid 1 (CB1 ) receptor, CB2 receptor, N-arachidonoyl phosphatidyl ethanol-specific phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD), and fatty acid amino hydrolase (FAAH) levels and increased in diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) levels during infancy and decreased CB2 and FAAH levels during adulthood. In the striatum, ETS decreased in the NAPE-PLD and MAGL levels and increased FAAH levels during infancy, increased FAAH levels during adolescence, and decreased NAPE-PLD levels during adulthood. The present findings indicate that exposure to ETS during a critical period of brain development can disturb the endocannabinoid system in the brainstem and striatum, regions that are involved in the pathogenesis of sudden infant death syndrome and the susceptibility to addiction.