Nicotine does not influence NF-κB activity in neonatal mice reoxygenated with room-air or 100% oxygen

BACKGROUND: Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is considered an important mediator of inflammation, but is also important for developing organs and is constitutive active in neurons in the newborn brain. OBJECTIVES: We wanted to test the effects of preconditioning with nicotine on neonatal mice subjected to hypoxia and reoxygenated with either room-air or 100% oxygen. We hypothesized that nicotine would be neuroprotective and possibly reduce detrimental effects of 100% oxygen on body organs. METHODS: In this randomized study, we used neonatal transgenic NF-κB reporter mice that were preconditioned with nicotine or vector only prior to hypoxia, and then subjected to resuscitation with room-air or 100% oxygen. RESULTS: We did not find any differences in NF-κB activity in whole body or in the brain of animals resuscitated with room-air or 100% oxygen. Resuscitation with 100% oxygen attenuated NF-kB activity when compared with resuscitation with room-air. However, when bioluminescence was properly corrected for body weight, the difference between room-air and 100% reoxygenation was no longer evident. CONCLUSIONS: Preconditioning with nicotine does not have any effect on NF-κB activity in body organs or in the brain of neonatal mice after hypoxia and resuscitation with either room-air or 100% oxygen. 100% oxygen did not alter NF-κB activity when compared to room-air resuscitation alone.