engleski

Alterations in rat cerebral cortex in offspring of bilastine-treated mothers

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of antihistamines bilastine (B) or desloratadine (D) applied during pregnancy on brain development. Material and methods: There were three animal groups each comprised of 6 male (m) and 6 female (f) Sprague-Dawley rats: control (C) group – the offspring of untreated mothers, and the B and D groups – the offspring of mothers treated with bilastine or desloratadine, respectively, from gestation day 10 until delivery. When the offspring reached the age of 3 months, brain tissue was collected and immunostained for neuronal (NeuN) and astroglial (GFAP) markers. Cortical layer thickness in primary auditory cortex (Au1) and primary motor cortex (M1) as well as the neuron to glia ratios were determined. Results: There were no significant changes in cortical layer thickness in Au1. Within M1, the lower layers V and VI were significantly thinner in the B groups (B vs. C, p = 0.043). Additionally, the B-m group had significantly reduced layer IV (B-m vs. C-m, p = 0.021). Neuron to astroglia ratio was increased in Au1 in both the B (B vs. C, p = 0.003) and D groups (D vs. C, p = 0.013), but was not changed in M1. Discussion and conclusions: The application of bilastine during pregnancy interfered with proper central nervous system development, especially in male offspring. This result is in accordance with the previous finding assessed with behavioral tests where lower spontaneous and locomotor activities were determined for male offspring of bilastine-treated mothers.

Histamine antagonists, Sprague-Dawley rats, cerebral cortex, neurons, astroglia

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