Fetal development in rhesus monkeys exposed prenatally to cocaine

Using a timed-breeding protocol, one group of female rhesus monkeys was imp lanted subcutaneously with osmotic minipumps containing 0.3 mg/kg/h cocaine (N= 18) or saline (N= 18) from day 24 postconception through gestation. An other group received cocaine (N= 12) or saline (N= 8) from conception throu gh day 42 of gestation. Mean levels of cocaine in maternal serum were appro ximately 150 ng/ml during pregnancy. A total of 56 pregnancies were documen ted in 42 adult monkeys, and 39 pregnancies completed full-term. Maternal f ood consumption and body weight increased during pregnancy, and there were no significant differences among experimental groups. Although both groups with a history of cocaine exposure had lower survival rates compared to pai r-fed controls, of the fetuses that survived, fetal heart rate, fetal bipar ietal diameter. and mean gestational length were in the normal range for al l experimental groups. Similarly, body weight, biparietal diameter, body le ngth, and modified Apgar scores at birth did not differ significantly among experimental groups. The results indicate that surviving fetuses exhibited normal growth. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.