Evaluation of emotional behaviors in young offspring of C57BL/6J mice after gestational and/or perinatal exposure to nicotine in six different time-windows

Nicotine replacement treatments are being alternatively applied as an aid to smoking cessation during pregnancy. However, the effects of nicotine exposed at the prenatal stage on the emotional behaviors in offspring are not well understood due to the lack of systematic investigations. The current study has therefore initially aimed to evaluate emotional behaviors in young mouse offspring (postnatal day 28–36) which experienced gestational and/or perinatal nicotine exposure (GPNE) in six different time-windows. Pregnant C57BL/6J mice were exposed to nicotine via sweetened (2% sucrose) drinking water during 6 different time-windows including gestational day 0–day 13 (G0–G13), G14–perinatal day 0 (P0), G0–P0, G14–P7, G0–P7, and P0–P7. During P28–P36 days, both male and female offspring were given a battery of behavioral tests including light and dark box test, marble burying behavior test, novelty-suppressed feeding test, sociability and social novelty preference test, social avoidance tube test, and elevated plus maze test. GPNE during G0–P0, G14–P0, G14–P7, and G0–P7 induced abnormal behaviors in male and female offspring to different extent. Results indicated that nicotine at any time points of gestational and/or perinatal period impairs emotional behaviors in offspring, and suggested certain time-windows for further neurochemical or molecular studies in relation with GPNE-induced emotional abnormalities.

► Pregnant C57BL/6J mice were exposed to nicotine during different time-windows.
► During postnatal day 28–36, offspring were given a battery of behavioral tests.
► Offspring differentially showed abnormalities in emotional behaviors.