Effects of environmental stress during pregnancy on maternal and fetal plasma corticosterone and progesterone in the rat

Conference · Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1986 · Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5508328

Fleming, D E; Rhees, R W; Williams, S R; Kurth, S M

Prenatal stress applied during a presumed critical period (third trimester) for sexual differentiation of the brain has been shown to alter development and influence sexual behavior. This experiment was designed to study the effects of environmental stress (restraint/illumination/heat) on maternal and fetal plasma corticosterone and progesterone titers. These hormones were studied since corticosterone has been shown to alter brain differentiation and progesterone has anti-androgen properties and since the secretion of both from the adrenal cortex is stimulated by ACTH. Plasma corticosterone and progesterone titers of both stressed and control gravid rats and their fetuses were measured on gestational days 18 and 20 by radioimmunoassay. Prenatal stress significantly reduced fetal body weight and fetal adrenal weight. Maternal pituitary weight was significantly increased. Prenatal stress caused a significant elevation in maternal corticosterone and progesterone titers and in fetal corticosterone titers. There was no difference between prenatal stressed and control fetal plasma progesterone levels. These data demonstrate that environmental stress significantly increases adrenal activity beyond that brought about naturally by pregnancy, and therefore may modify sequential hormonal events during fetal development.

• Research Organization: Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT
• OSTI ID: 5508328
• Report Number(s): CONF-8604222-; TRN: 86-026608
• Journal Information: Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States), Vol. 45:3; Conference: 70. annual meeting of the Federation of American Society for Experimental Biology, St. Louis, MO, USA, 13 Apr 1986
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BIOLOGICAL STRESS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BRAIN
CELL DIFFERENTIATION
CORTICOSTERONE
SECRETION
PROGESTERONE
ADRENAL GLANDS
FETUSES
PITUITARY GLAND
PREGNANCY
RADIOIMMUNOASSAY
RATS
WEIGHT
ADRENAL HORMONES
ANIMALS
BODY
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CORTICOSTEROIDS
ENDOCRINE GLANDS
GLANDS
GLUCOCORTICOIDS
HORMONES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
IMMUNOASSAY
IMMUNOLOGY
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
KETONES
MAMMALS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PREGNANES
RADIOASSAY
RADIOIMMUNOLOGY
RODENTS
STEROID HORMONES
STEROIDS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
VERTEBRATES
550201* - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques