Optical coherence tomography angiography to evaluate murine fetal brain vasculature changes caused by prenatal exposure to nicotine

Maternal smoking causes several defects ranging from intrauterine growth restriction to sudden infant death syndrome and spontaneous abortion. While several studies have documented the effects of prenatal nicotine exposure in development and behavior, acute vasculature changes in the fetal brain due to prenatal nicotine exposure have not been evaluated yet. This study uses correlation mapping optical coherence angiography to evaluate changes in fetal brain vasculature flow caused by maternal exposure to nicotine during the second trimester-equivalent of gestation in a mouse model. The effects of two different doses of nicotine were evaluated. Results showed a decrease in the vasculature for both doses of nicotine, which was not seen in the case of the sham group.