Methamphetamine concentrations in fetal and maternal brain following prenatal exposure

Levels of methamphetamine in maternal striatum and whole fetal mouse brain were assessed at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 h postinjection on gestational day 14 (GD 14) following a single, subcutaneous injection of 40 mg/kg (+)-methampheta mine hydrochloride to pregnant mice. In the dams, striatal concentrations o f methamphetamine peaked at I h postinjection, reaching levels of approxima tely 510 ng/mg protein. Amphetamine, the primary metabolite of methamphetam ine, increased to 77 ng/mg protein at 2 It and remained elevated by 4 h pos tinjection. In the fetal brain, peak methamphetamine concentrations of appr oximately 122 ng/mg protein were attained at 1 h. Amphetamine was only dete ctable in fetal brain at 2 and 4 h postinjection. Regional analysis of meth amphetamine levels in fetal striatum, cortex, and brainstem revealed that t he drug was not uniformly distributed. Maternal administration of methamphe tamine results in fetal brain drug concentrations, which approximate those reported in human infants whose mother abused methamphetamine. This dosage regimen, therefore, serves as an appropriate animal model for assessing the potential risks to human offspring exposed to methamphetamine in utero. (C ) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.