Abstract
Maternal exposure during pregnancy to drugs of abuse often leads to long term effects on physiological regulatory mechanisms in the offspring. The effects of maternal opiate, cocaine or alcohol abuse on offspring gross morphological and behavioral development have been relatively well studied (1); however, there are few studies on how maternal drug abuse affects offspring immune function per se (2,3,4). Opiates given during early development affect levels of brain opiate receptors (5) and pain thresholds in adulthood (6,7). One might expect these long-lasting neural effects to show up in altered cellular immune function, since immune cells employ many of the same biochemical messenger systems as the nervous system and since changes in the brain may result in altered signals from the brain to the lymphoid organs To explore these questions this study examines how morphine administration to mother rats affects hematological parameters in the adult progeny. Because opiate systems are closely associated with adaptive mechanisms for responding to stress, we examined peripheral blood leucocyte distributions under both normal and stressed conditions.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
NIDA Monograph 59 (1985) Current Research on the Consequences of Maternal Drug Abuse. National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, Rockville, MD
Sobrian SK, Burton LE, Robinson NL, Ashe WK, James H, Stokes DL, and Turner LM (1990) Neurobehavioral and immunological effects of prenatal cocaine exposure in rat. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behay. 35, 617–629.
Gottesfeld Z, Christie R, Felten DL and LeGrue SJ (1990) Prenatal ethanol exposure alters immune capacity and noradrenergic synaptic transmission in lymphoid organs of the adult mouse. Neuroscience 35, 185–194.
Culver KW, Ammann AJ, Patridge JC, Wong OF, Wara DW and Cowan MJ (1987) Lymphocyte abnormalities in infants born to drug-abusing mothers. J. Pediatrics 111, 230–235.
Tsang D and Ng SC (1980) Effect of antenatal exposure to opiates on the development of opiate receptors in rat brain. Brain Res., 188, 199–206.
Kirby ML, DeRossett SE and Holtzman SG (1982) Enhanced analgesic response to morphine in adult rats exposed to morphine prenatally. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behay., 17, 1161–1164.
Martin JT, Bradshaw W, Miczek K and Baum MJ (1987) Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone infusions during pregnancy in the rat: effects on offspring weight, pain reactivity, and sexual behavior. Psychoneuroendocrinology 12, 439–448.
Girardot M-N. and Holloway FA (1984) Cold water stress analgesia in rats: differential effects of naltrexone. Physiol. Behay. 32, 547–555.
Martin JT (1978) Embryonic pituitary-adrenal axis, behavior development and domestication in birds. Am. Zool., 18, 489–499.
Dougherty TF and White A (1944) Influence of hormones on lymphoid tissue structure and function. The role of the pituitary adrenotrophic hormone in the regulation of the lymphocytes and other cellular elements of the blood. Endocrinology 35, 1–14.
Keller SE, Weiss JM, Schleifer SJ, Miller NE and Stein M. (1983) Stress-induced suppression of immunity in adrenalectomized rats. Science 221, 1301–1304.
Dhabhar FS, Miller AH, Stein M, McEwen BS and Spencer RL (1994) Diurnal and acute stress-induced changes in distribtion of peripheral blood leukocyte subpopulations. Brain, Behay. Immun 8, 66–79.
Smith EM, Morrill AC, Meyer WJ, Blalock JE (1986) Corticotropin releasing factor induction of leukocyte-derived immunoreactive ACTH and endorphins. Nature 322, 881–882.
Sibinga, NES and Goldstein A (1988) Opioid peptides and opioid receptors in cells of the immune system. Ann. Rev. Immunol. 6, 219–249.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1996 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Martin, J.T., Nehlsen-Cannarella, S.L., Gugelchuk, G.M., Fagoaga, O. (1996). Prenatal Morphine Exposure Interacts with Adult Stress to Affect Type and Number of Blood Leucocytes. In: Friedman, H., Eisenstein, T.K., Madden, J., Sharp, B.M. (eds) AIDS, Drugs of Abuse, and the Neuroimmune Axis. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 402. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0407-4_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0407-4_13
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-8038-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-0407-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive