Effects of exposure to cigarette smoke in synaptic plasticity at the beginning of postnatal period in mice

• Grant number: 15/09909-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2015
• End date: June 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Toxicology
• Principal Investigator: Tania Marcourakis
• Grantee: Andreza Izidoro de Souza
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

At the beginning of central nervous system (CNS) development many neurotoxic agents, such as nicotine and cigarette smoke, may influence in different mechanism that characterize this stage. Considering these events, this project intend to understand better the effects of exposure to cigarette smoke during the beginning of CNS development and possible consequences in adolescence and adulthood. The focus of this study is the synaptic transmission. The synaptogenesis that happen during the development, due to synaptic plasticity, is a result of experiences and environmental stimulus, these events are dependent processes and have an important role on main stages of development. Mice C57/BL will be exposed to the cigarette 3R4F (0,8 mg nicotine/cigarette) smoke from the third day of life(P3) to fourteenth day (P14) for two hours every day (one hour for each exposure at 9am and 4pm). The animals (n=7) will be euthanized at P15 (childhood), P35 (adolescence) and P65 (adulthood). Synaptic plasticity markers such as synapsin, synaptophysin, synaptobrevin and synaptotagmin will be quantified in hippocampus, cerebellum, striatum and brainstem by western-blotting.