Remodeled salt appetite in rat offspring by perinatal exposure to nicotine

To determine the effect of perinatal exposure to nicotine on water intake and salt appetite related to renin–angiotensin system in the offspring, maternal rats during perinatal period [gestation (G) or gestation plus lactation (G + L)] were subcutaneously administrated with nicotine. Four months after birth, intake of 1.8% NaCl and water was measured following 24 h water deprivation in the adult offspring, and angiotensin receptors in the brain were determined. There was no change of blood Na+ and K+ concentrations following exposure to nicotine either during pregnancy or pregnancy plus lactation. To the offspring following perinatal exposure to nicotine, their salt appetite was significantly increased (during the first 2 h and 24 h testing periods) by 24 h water deprivation. In the forebrain of the offspring with history of perinatal exposure to nicotine, expression of angiotensin AT1 and AT2 subtype was reduced. The results showed that spontaneous salt appetite was not changed by using nicotine during perinatal periods, while stimulated salt intake could be affected by exposure to nicotine in fetal origins, and the changed behavior (water and salt intake) by perinatal nicotine was associated with the remodeled expression of AT1 and AT2 receptors in the forebrain of the offspring.