Prenatal Smoke Exposure May Increase Baby’s Later COPD Risk, Mouse Study Says

Exposure to cigarette smoke during pregnancy impairs lung embryonic development, which may increase the baby's later-in-life risk for disorders like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a mouse study suggests. Smoke was found to increase the levels of the amphiregulin (AREG) protein, which may impair the formation of certain lung cells. The study, “Prenatal smoke exposure dysregulates lung epithelial cell differentiation in mouse offspring: role for AREG-induced EGFR signaling,” was published in the American Journal of Physiology – Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology. Smoke exposure before birth is associated with a higher risk for respiratory diseases for the offspring later in life, including asthma in children and adolescents, and COPD in adulthood. Previous research had suggested that exposure to smoke during pregnancy alters the normal development of the baby's lungs, and that this is a potential trigger for the later development of COPD and other lung diseases.