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Effects of early- and late-gestational maternal stress and synthetic glucocorticoid on development of the fetal hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in sheep
- Source :
- Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands). 16(1)
- Publication Year :
- 2012
-
Abstract
- Prenatal maternal stress (PMS) programs dysregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) in postnatal life, though time periods vulnerable to PMS, are still unclear. We evaluated in pregnant sheep the effect of PMS during early gestation [30-100 days of gestation (dGA); term is 150 dGA] or late gestation (100-120 dGA) on development of fetal HPAA function. We compared the effects of endogenous cortisol with synthetic glucocorticoid (GC) exposure, as used clinically to enhance fetal lung maturation. Pregnant sheep were exposed to repeated isolation stress twice per week for 3 h in a separate box with no visual, tactile, or auditory contact with their flock-mates either during early (n = 7) or late (n = 7) gestation. Additional groups received two courses of betamethasone (BM; n = 7; 2 × 110 μg kg(- 1) body weight, 24 h apart) during late gestation (106/107 and 112/113 dGA, n = 7) or acted as controls (n = 7). Fetal cortisol responses to hypotensive challenge, a physiological fetal stressor, were measured at 112 and 129 dGA, i.e. before and during maturation of the HPAA. Hypotension was induced by fetal infusion of sodium nitroprusside, a potent vasodilator. At 112 dGA, neither PMS nor BM altered fetal cortisol responses. PMS, during early or late gestation, and BM treatment increased fetal cortisol responses at 129 dGA with the greatest increase achieved in stressed early pregnant sheep. Thus, development of the HPAA is vulnerable to inappropriate levels of GCs during long periods of fetal life, whereas early gestation is most vulnerable to PMS.
- Subjects :
- Nitroprusside
medicine.medical_specialty
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System
Hydrocortisone
Physiology
Vasodilator Agents
Radioimmunoassay
Pituitary-Adrenal System
Betamethasone
Fetal Development
Behavioral Neuroscience
Fetus
Pregnancy
Internal medicine
medicine
Animals
Birth Weight
Glucocorticoids
Sheep
Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
business.industry
Body Weight
medicine.disease
Pregnancy Complications
Psychiatry and Mental health
Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Endocrinology
Prenatal stress
Fetal Weight
Hypothalamus
Gestation
Pregnancy, Animal
Female
Hypotension
business
Glucocorticoid
Algorithms
Stress, Psychological
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 16078888
- Volume :
- 16
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....cd2bb31024feac794c72941544e2fc27