TY - JOUR
T1 - Behavioral and biochemical studies in rats following prenatal treatment with β-adrenoceptor antagonists
AU - Speiser, Zipora
AU - Gordon, Irit
AU - Rehavi, Moshe
AU - Gitter, Simon
PY - 1991/3/19
Y1 - 1991/3/19
N2 - Increased motor activity and poor performance in the active avoidance test were observed in the offspring of rats treated with d1-propranolol or sotalol during pregnancy, but not with atenolol and d-propranolol. All substances were administered in drinking water from days 8-22 of gestation. A significant increase in the density of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in the hippocampus was found for dl-propranolol and sotalol, at 35 and 20 days of age, respectively. Twenty-day-old pups bom to dl-propranolol-treated rats exhibited a non-significant decrease in the number of β-adrenoceptors in the frontal cortex. Assuming that all the β-adrenoceptor antagonists tested had access to the developing fetal brain, the effect of dl-propranolol and sotalol on behavior could stem from central β2-adrenoceptor blockade. In view of the lack of behavioral changes after atenolol, a β1-selective adrenoceptor antagonist, it is suggested that the clinical use of β1-selective adrenoceptor antagonists during pregnancy might be safer for the fetus than β2-adrenoceptor antagonists.
AB - Increased motor activity and poor performance in the active avoidance test were observed in the offspring of rats treated with d1-propranolol or sotalol during pregnancy, but not with atenolol and d-propranolol. All substances were administered in drinking water from days 8-22 of gestation. A significant increase in the density of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in the hippocampus was found for dl-propranolol and sotalol, at 35 and 20 days of age, respectively. Twenty-day-old pups bom to dl-propranolol-treated rats exhibited a non-significant decrease in the number of β-adrenoceptors in the frontal cortex. Assuming that all the β-adrenoceptor antagonists tested had access to the developing fetal brain, the effect of dl-propranolol and sotalol on behavior could stem from central β2-adrenoceptor blockade. In view of the lack of behavioral changes after atenolol, a β1-selective adrenoceptor antagonist, it is suggested that the clinical use of β1-selective adrenoceptor antagonists during pregnancy might be safer for the fetus than β2-adrenoceptor antagonists.
KW - Acetylcholine receptors (central)
KW - Active avoidance
KW - Hyperactivity
KW - Offspring behaviour
KW - Pregnancy
KW - β-Adrenoceptor antagonists
KW - β-Adrenoceptors (central)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0025981834&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/0014-2999(91)90383-2
DO - 10.1016/0014-2999(91)90383-2
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AN - SCOPUS:0025981834
SN - 0014-2999
VL - 195
SP - 75
EP - 83
JO - European Journal of Pharmacology
JF - European Journal of Pharmacology
IS - 1
ER -