Exposure of Pregnant Rats to Cigarette- Smoke Condensate Causes Glomerular Abnormalities in Offspring

Background: Higher blood pressure and albuminuria are found in offspring of mothers who smoke during pregnancy. Whether or not kidney development is affected by maternal smoking is unknown. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to twice-daily cigarettesmoke and nicotine condensate (1 mg/kg) or vehicle at day 10 of pregnancy until delivery. Results: Exposed offspring did not differ from control offspring with respect to body weight, kidney weight, albuminuria, and creatinine clearance. Both male and female offspring had higher tail-plethysmographic blood pressures and lower mean glomerular volume, podocyte, mesangial-cell, and endothelial-cell number, compared to control offspring. Conclusions: The data document that prenatal exposure to cigarette-smoke condensate containing nicotine influences normal kidney development and could predispose to higher blood pressures later in life.