The Effect of Gabapentin and Lamotrigine on Mice Mammary Glands

Presenter

Monet Theresa Estella Williams

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Laura N. Vandenberg, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board C28, Poster Showcase Room (163), Row 3 (C21-C30) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Birth defects affect one in every 33 babies born in the US and estimates suggest that exposures to environmental teratogens (chemicals that induce congenital malformations) during gestation account for 10-12% of all birth defects. Our lab has recently studied the effects of alcohol, a known teratogen, on craniofacial development and neurobehavioral outcomes in mice. This previous study also examined whether two ion-modulating chemicals, lamotrigine and gabapentin, can exaggerate or mitigate these effects of alcohol. Here, we are pursuing a follow-up study to determine whether pharmaceuticals that alter ion channel function disrupt the development of the mammary gland. To answer this question, mice were orally exposed to an oil vehicle, lamotrigine (which inhibits Na+ voltage gated channels) or gabapentin (which inhibits voltage gated Ca2+ channels) throughout the pregnancy period. A subset of the females were also administered ethanol on pregnancy day 8. The mothers delivered pups naturally and mammary glands were collected from the male and female offspring prior to puberty (on postnatal day 21) or during puberty (on postnatal day 32). Whole-mount mammary glands were used to evaluate specific epithelial structures while looking at the changes between the control group and the groups given lamotrigine or gabapentin, with a focus on ductal size and the number and size of terminal end buds (TEBs). Using these measurements, our study will allow us to evaluate the effects of ion channel modulators on the growth of the mouse mammary gland and whether these chemicals can influence the effects of known teratogens like alcohol. 

Keywords

mammary glands, teratogen, ion channel modulators, lamotrigine, gabapentin

Research Area

Public Health and Epidemiology

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