Effects of prenatal Tobacco Heating Products exposure on the fetus and estimating the effects occurring after birth

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K19654
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 58:Society medicine, nursing, and related fields
• Research Institution: Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Yoshida Seiichi 大分県立看護科学大学, 看護学部, 准教授 (40360060)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-06-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 加熱式たばこ / 胎児期曝露 / 性分化 / マウス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Prenatal exposure to tobacco heating products (THPs) aggravates reproductive function in male offspring mice. Prenatal exposure to THPs may have some impact on the male fetuses. Therefore, we investigated whether exposing pregnant mice to heated tobacco would result in effects on the sexual differentiation and fetal development of male fetuses. Prenatal exposure to THPs reduced male fetal weight at PND 14.5 compared to the control group. Moreover, exposure to THPs delayed the induction of sry expression, which is one of the genes related to sexual differentiation. These findings suggest that prenatal exposure to THPs induces delayed male fetal growth and delayed sexual differentiation, contributing to impaired male reproductive function observed postnatally.

Free Research Field

衛生化学・公衆衛生

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

妊娠中の紙たばこの喫煙は胎児に悪影響をもたらすことは明らかにされているが、比較的リスクが小さいと認識されている加熱式たばこによる影響は不明であった。妊娠マウスに加熱式たばこを曝露し、胎児への影響を評価したところ、胎児の発育が遅延すること、雄性胎児の性分化が遅延することなど、加熱式たばこの曝露が胎児へ悪影響を示すことを明らかにした。このことは、妊婦が紙たばこではなく加熱式たばこを利用したとしても胎児および出生する子どもに悪影響が生じることを示しており、妊娠中はいかなる様態のたばこであっても使用しない必要性を示すものである。