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TOXICOLOGICAL HIGHLIGHT: SCREENING FOR DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY OF TOBACCO SMOKE CONSTITUENTS
Citation:
Rogers, J M. AND B D. Abbott. TOXICOLOGICAL HIGHLIGHT: SCREENING FOR DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY OF TOBACCO SMOKE CONSTITUENTS. TOXICOLOGICAL SCIENCES. Society of Toxicology, RESTON, VA, 75(2):227-228, (2003).
Description:
Abstract
Cigarette smoking is unrivaled among developmental toxicants in terms of total adverse impact on the human population. According to the American Lung Association, smoking during pregnancy is estimated to account for 20 to 30 percent of low-weight babies, up to 14 percent of preterm deliveries, and about ten percent of all infant deaths. Both active and passive smokers (Martin and Bracken, 1986) have babies with lower than normal birthweight. The long term consequences associated with low birthweight are just beginning to come to light, and they are many. Risks of childhood and adult morbidity including, but not limited to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and cancer are inversely related to birthweight. Vasculogenesis and angiogenesis are essential for embryonic development, and disruption of these processes can be a powerful mechanism of teratogenesis. This article is an introduction to a paper by Melkonian and coworkers, who present work from their group demonstrating that constituents of tobacco smoke are developmentally toxic and antiangiogenic in the chick chorioallantoic membrane(CAM) assay. The type of screening done in this paper demonstrates the advantages of in vitro systems when used appropriately in a mechanism or mode of action framework. In the paper, the effects of pyrazine and derivatives that were previously identified in tobacco smoke are examined. Pyrazine itself was found to be a more potent inhibitor of CAM and embryo growth (picomolar concentrations) than any of the six derivatives tested. Effects on growth were apparently due to inhibition of cell proliferation, as DNA synthesis was inhibited by pyrazine.
This toxicological highlight goes on to elaborate on the developmental effects of maternal smoking and encourages more research to understand better the risks of maternal smoking.