Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Sheesha Smoke: Response of Juvenile Rats to Novel Environment

Abstract

The traditional tobacco smoking known as sheesha, hubble-bubble, or hoaka is a process by which a tobacco-fruit mixture is drawn through a long tube, then passed through a water trap, before its inhalation by the smoker. Recently sheesha has gained substantial popularity among pregnant woman as a safer alternative to cigarette smoking. The aim of the present work is to examine the effect of prenatal exposure to sheesha smoke on growth and locomotor activities of juvenile rats. Two-day-pregnant rats were exposed daily to sheesha smoke for 10 minutes up to day 18 pregnancy. The effect of sheesha smoke on gestation period, progeny number, and body weight was determined. The ambulatory and stereotype behavior of offspring were measured at the age of 30 days. Results show that passive exposure to sheesha smoke during pregnancy had no effects on the gestational period, number of pups, birth weight, and body weight growth. The total ambulatory activity of exposed rats was 21.1% lower than that of matched control, P = .08. The decline rate of ambulatory activity in exposed rats was 27.6% lower than that of nonexposed, P = .09. The total stereotype movements in exposed rats were 26% lower than that of nonexposed, P = .029. The decline rate of the stereotype movements in the exposed rats was 10-fold lower than that of nonexposed, P = .00006. It was concluded that prenatal exposure to sheesha smoke lowers the response of rats tc novel environments.