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Asthma induced by smoking can affect second generation offspring

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Asthma induced by smoking can affect second generation offspring

That smoking during pregnancy affects child later in life is already known. But now researchers have found that smoking during pregnancy can affect not only children but also grandchildren. The finding was made by researchers at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, California, and was published in BMC Medicine journal.Asthma is a chronic respiratory increasingly more common in children. This disease is manifested by attacks of paroxysmal dyspnea, wheezing and coughing. Unlike COPD, asthma is characterized by normal respiratory function outside crisis. Symptoms of asthma are caused by chronic inflammation of the airways leading to obstruction. Attacks of dyspnea can be caused by stress, exposure to cold air or to certain pollutants.

Actually asthma is of several types: allergic asthma that begins early in childhood,  intrinsic asthama and mixed asthma. Generally asthma symptoms can be controlled with medication. There are several categories of drugs that are used in asthma: bronchodilators (beta blockers), such as salbutamol or formoterol. Other drugs used are corticosteroids such as budesonide or fluticasone. There are also anticholinergic (ipratropium), leukotriene inhibitors (montelukast) that cam be used to treat asthma.

Inhaler

Inhaler

It is known that smoking during pregnancy can affect fetal lung function. Now researchers want to extend discovery and conducted a study that examined the effects of nicotine exposure not only on the first (F1) but also on the second generation (F2) of rats. It was found that nicotine has effects on both male and female offspring in terms of lung function. The discovery is exciting because F1 generation was not exposed to nicotine, but the effects on lung function have appeared on F2 generation. What the researchers discovered was that high levels of protein such as fibronectin, collagen and nicotinic receptors aceylcholine  were found inboth  F1 and F2 generation. It was also noticed that the expression of a marker  associated withnormal long development (PPAR?) was low in both F1 and F2.

Dr. Virender Rehan, who led this study, said that the possible explanation for the fact that the effects of nicotine are transmitted from one generation to another are related to the level of histone methylation (some protein DNA structure) and that it varies depending on sex . He explained that methylation was increased in testis of male rats but in  female rats, the metilation level was low.

This finding indicates that smoking during pregnancy has long lasting effects. It is therefore very important that pregnant women should be aware of the impact of nicotine.