Effects of Neonatal Exposure to Cocaine in the Development of the Neurotransmitters Retinal Systems: An Immunocytochemical and Neurochemical Study

The visual system of rodents is affected if exposure to drugs, e.g., cocaine, occurs during prenatal or early postnatal development. This study aims to evaluate, in an experimental model of neonatal exposure to cocaine in the rat, the immunocytochemical expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in the retina and the levels of different neurotransmitters and its metabolites. Male Wistar rats were given 15 mg cocaine hydrochloride/kg body weight/day, subcutaneously, in two daily doses, from the day after birth (PND1) to PND6, 13, and 29. Controls were given 0.9% saline. Groups of rats were perfused at PND7, 14, and 30 with fixative, and the retinas were processed as wholemounts, and immunostained with the antibody anti‐TH. Other groups were decapitated, and the retinas were dissected and processed by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC‐EC) for determination of dopamine and metabolites (DOPAC and HVA). A reduction in the retinal surface area was detected in the PND30 cocaine group, and a decrease in the density of the small TH‐IR cells was found in the PND14 cocaine group although not reaching significant levels. The other quantitative parameters did not differ between the control and cocaine groups. The levels of neurotransmitters did not significantly differ between the groups at any age. These results show a differential vulnerability of the dopaminergic system of rats exposed neonatally to cocaine when compared with the effects found after prenatal exposure to the same drug.