Smoking during Pregnancy: A Risk Factor for Peripheral Neuropathy?

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Dev Neurosci. 2007 Oct 26;

Smoking during Pregnancy: A Risk Factor for Peripheral Neuropathy?

Carratù MR, Coluccia A, Borracci P, Fasano A, Riccio P, Cuomo V.

Department of Pharmacology and Human Physiology, Medical School,

University of Bari, Policlinico, Bari, Italy.

Studies dealing with the outcomes of developmental carbon monoxide

(CO) exposure on myelination in rat offspring are reviewed. Prenatal

CO exposure from gestational day 0 to gestational day 20 impairs

myelin deposition around peripheral axons resulting in a significant

hypomyelination in juvenile and adult rats. Myelin protein patterns

analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and lipid

patterns analyzed by the HPTLC method are not altered in both

peripheral and central nervous systems of CO-exposed offspring.

Interestingly, when sphingomyelin is extracted and purified, the

derivatization by OPA reagent and analysis by reversed-phase HPLC

reveal a significant increase in sphingosine levels in peripheral

nervous system but not in central nervous system of CO-exposed rats.

The above morphological and biochemical alterations are not

accompanied by motor disabilities.