BACKGROUND: Smoking is deleterious to the healing process in the intra-womb fetus. AIM: To analyze the effects of nicotine, according with the tensiometric study (maximum strength, rupture strength and tensile strength), on the abdominal wall healing of suckling rats born of mothers that received nicotine, during pregnancy and lactation. METHODS: Pregnant Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups, the nicotine group (NG), in which it was administered subcutaneous nicotine at dose of 2mg/kg/day, during pregnancy and lactation, and the control group (CG), that received subcutaneous isovolumetric saline solution at 0,9%, in the same period of time. Sixty baby rats, divided into two groups, were weaned at 21 days and the transverse laparotomy was performed. Each group was divided into two subgroups, each one containing 15 baby rats, in accordance with the date when the surgical scar was analyzed: on the 7th day of postoperative, control subgroup C7 and nicotine subgroup N7, or 21st day of the postoperative, control subgroup C21 and nicotine subgroup N21. The surgical scar in the healing area was evaluated by tensiometric study. The statistics was based on the ANOVA model, at significance level of 5%. RESULTS: The tensiometric evaluation pointed out that the subgroup N7, in comparison to C7, presented lower maximum strength (0,391 ± 0,032kgf vs. 0,586 ± 0,041kgf, P=0,0060), rupture strength (0,393 ± 0,032kgf vs. 0,577 ± 0,051kgf, P=0,0047) and tensile strength (0,029 ± 0,002kgf/mm2 vs. 0,036 ± 0,005kgf/mm2, P=0,0493). The subgroup N21, when compared to C21, presented lower rupture strength (0,421 ± 0,004kgf vs. 0,581 ± 0,002kgf, P=0,0007) and tensile strength (0,053 ± 0,002kgf/mm2 vs. 0,066 ± 0,002kgf/mm2, P=0,0056). CONCLUSION: Adverse effect of nicotine, administrated in pregnancy and lactation period, was observed on the abdominal wall healing of baby rats, according to the tensiometric parameter.
Healing; Lactation; Laparotomy; Nicotine; Pregnancy; Tensiometry
