The Effect of Physical Activity and Maternal Addiction before Pregnancy on Physical Growth of Offsprings

The present study was aimed at identifying the effect of short- term physical activity (Compulsive running on rat treadmill) and maternal addiction before pregnancy on physical growth of male rat offspringʹs. Healthy male Wistar rats, weighting 220- 250gr, were divided into four groups as follows: control, exercise, morphine and morphine with exercise groups. Compulsive running on rat treadmill were performed in a ten-dayʹs period. Female rats were injected subcutaneously with dissolved morphine with increasing doses of 10 mg/kg, 20 mg/kg and 40mg/kg for the first, second and third every 3 days, respectively to make rats morphine dependence. After birth, all measures (including body weight, head width, body length for each pup) were collected on 5th, 21st day of birth. The mean weight and head width of litters in morphine-exercise exposed group was significantly higher than other three groups on 5th day of birth (P < 0.05). Mean head width of litters in exercise group was significantly higher compared to other three groups on 21st day of birth (P < 0.05). Body Length (crown–rump length) of litters of morphine exercise exposed Mothers was significantly higher compared to other groups on 5th day after birth (P < 0.05). Our findings showed that morphine administration before pregnancy induced its effects in reduction of physical growth (including body length, head width and weight) in weaning period (21st day) whiles the exercise led to increased physical growth in the mentioned period. In addition, exercise can diminish the devastating effects of morphine (except the 5th day of birth) on mothers. Thus teaching the people to find enough knowledge about the effects of maternal morphine and exercise exposure before mating on physical growth of offspring must to be taken into consideration.