Sex differences in substrates and clearance products of cortisol and corticosterone synthesis in full-term human umbilical circulation without labor: Substrate depletion matches synthesis in males, but not females

Higher prenatal anxiety predicts lower neonatal hair cortisol

BACKGROUND

Prenatal glucocorticoids are one of the most widely proposed prenatal programming mechanisms, yet few studies exist that measure fetal cortisol via neonatal hair. Neonatal hair provides a window into the fetal experience and represents cortisol accumulation in the third trimester of pregnancy. In the current study, we test the links between two types of anxiety over the course of gestation (pregnancy-related anxiety and general anxiety) with neonatal hair cortisol.

METHOD

Pregnant individuals (N = 107) and their neonates (59.8% female) participated in the current study. Prenatal pregnancy-related anxiety and general anxiety were measured using the Pregnancy Related Anxiety Scale (PRAS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), in each trimester of pregnancy. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to model the intercept and slope of each type of anxiety over gestation. Neonatal hair samples were collected shortly after birth (Median days = 1.17, IQR = 0.75-2.00).

RESULTS

Both higher pregnancy-related anxiety and general anxiety at the beginning of pregnancy and a flatter decline of pregnancy-related anxiety over gestation were associated with lower neonatal hair cortisol. After inclusion of gestational age at birth and parity as covariates, pregnancy-related anxiety (intercept: β = -0.614, p =.012; slope: β = -0.681, p =.006), but not general anxiety (intercept: β = -0.389, p =.114; slope: β = -0.302, p =.217) remained a significant predictor. Further, when both general and pregnancy-related anxiety were entered into the same model, only pregnancy-related anxiety (intercept and slope) were significant predictors of neonatal hair cortisol, indicating an association with pregnancy-related anxiety above and beyond general anxiety.

CONCLUSION

Cortisol plays a central role in maturation of fetal organ systems, and at the end of gestation, higher cortisol has beneficial effects such as promoting fetal lung maturation. Further, lower maternal cortisol is linked to less optimal cognitive development and altered brain development. As maternal higher anxiety in early pregnancy and a flatter decrease over time are both associated with lower neonatal hair cortisol, maternal pregnancy-related anxiety could be a target of future intervention efforts.

Human biology and the study of precarity: How the intersection of uncertainty and inequality is taking us to new extremes

Inequality represents an extreme environment to which humans must respond. One phenomenon that contributes to this growing extreme is precarity or the intersection of uncertainty and some form of inequality. While precarity has an important intellectual history in the fields of sociology and sociocultural anthropology, it has not been well studied in the field of human biology. Rather human biologists have engaged with the study of closely related concepts such as uncertainty and resource insecurity. In this article, we propose that human biology take on the study of precarity as a novel way of investigating inequality. We first provide a brief intellectual history of precarity which is followed by a review of research on uncertainty and resource security in human biology which, while not exhaustive, illustrates some key gaps that precarity may aid us in addressing. We then review some of the pathways through which precarity comes to affect human biology and health and some of the evidence for why the unpredictable nature of precarity may make it a unique physiological stress. A case study based on research in Nuñoa, Peru provides an important example of how precarity can elucidate the influences of health in an extreme setting, albeit with insights that apply more broadly. We conclude that precarity holds important potential for the study of human biology, including helping us more effectively operationalize and study uncertainty, encouraging us to explore the predictability of resources and stressors, and reminding us to think about the intersectional nature of stressors.

Prolactin and glucocorticoid receptors in the prefrontal cortex are associated with anxiety-like behavior in prenatally stressed adolescent offspring rats

Prenatal stress (PS) causes anxiety in mothers and their offspring and chewing is a commonly observed behavior during maternal stress. Prolactin (PRL) is an anti-anxiety factor that suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Here, we studied the roles of PRL, corticosterone (CORT), and their receptors in PS-induced anxiety-like behavior in dams and their offspring. We further investigated whether chewing during maternal stress could prevent PS-induced harmful consequences. Pregnant rats were randomly divided into PS, PS + chewing, and control groups. Anxiety-like behaviors of dams and their adolescent offspring were assessed using the open field test and elevated plus maze. Serum levels of PRL and CORT were measured by ELISA. Expression of mRNA and protein of PRLR and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were evaluated by qRT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. Compared to the control rats, dams and their female offspring, but not male offspring, in the PS group showed increased anxiety-like behaviors. The PS-affected rats had a lower serum PRL level and increased PRLR expression in the PFC. In contrast, these rats had a higher serum CORT level and decreased GR expression in the PFC. Chewing ameliorated anxiety-like behaviors and counteracted stress-induced changes in serum PRL and CORT, as well as the expression of their receptors in the PFC. Conclusion: PS-induced anxiety-like behavior is associated with changes in the serum levels of PRL and CORT and expression of their receptors in the PFC. Moreover, chewing blunts the hormonal and receptor changes and may serve as an effective stress-coping method for preventing PS-induced anxiety-like behavior.

Perinatal determinants of neonatal hair glucocorticoid concentrations

Adult hair glucocorticoid concentrations reflect months of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. However, little is known about the determinants of neonatal hair glucocorticoids. We tested associations between perinatal exposures and neonatal hair glucocorticoids. Cortisol and cortisone were measured by LC-MS/MS in paired maternal and infant hair samples collected within 10 days of birth (n = 49 term, n = 47 preterm), with neonatal samples collected at 6-weeks in n = 54 preterm infants. We demonstrate cortisol accumulation in hair increases with fetal maturity, with hair cortisol being higher in term than preterm born infants after delivery (median 401 vs 106 pg/mg; p < 0.001). In term born infants, neonatal hair cortisol is positively associated with maternal hair cortisol concentration (β = 0.240, p = 0.045) and negatively associated with birthweight z-score (β = -0.340, p = 0.006). Additionally, being born without maternal labour is associated with lower hair cortisol concentrations (β = -0.489, p < 0.001) and a lower ratio of cortisol to cortisone (β = -0.484, p = 0.001). In preterm infants, histological chorioamnionitis is associated with a higher cortisol to cortisone ratio in hair (β = 0.459, p = 0.001). In samples collected 6 weeks after preterm birth, hair cortisol concentration is associated with cortisol hair concentrations measured after birth (β = 0.523, p < 0.001), chorioamnionitis (β = 0.250, p = 0.049) and postnatal exposures including intravenous hydrocortisone therapy (β = 0.343, p < 0.007) and neonatal sepsis (β = 0.290, p = 0.017). In summary, neonatal hair cortisol is associated with birth gestation, maternal hair cortisol concentration and fetal growth. Additionally, exposures at delivery are important determinants of hair cortisol, and should be considered in the design of future research investigating how neonatal hair cortisol relates to prenatal exposures or fetal development.

Human Umbilical Cord: Information Mine in Sex-Specific Medicine

Biological differences between sexes should be considered in all stages of research, as sexual dimorphism starts in utero leading to sex-specific fetal programming. In numerous biomedical fields, there is still a lack of stratification by sex despite primary cultured cells retaining memory of the sex and of the donor. The sex of donors in biological research must be known because variations in cells and cellular components can be used as endpoints, biomarkers and/or targets of pharmacological studies. This selective review focuses on the current findings regarding sex differences observed in the umbilical cord, a widely used source of research samples, both in the blood and in the circulating cells, as well as in the different cellular models obtainable from it. Moreover, an overview on sex differences in fetal programming is reported. As it emerges that the sex variable is still often forgotten in experimental models, we suggest that it should be mandatory to adopt sex-oriented research, because only awareness of these issues can lead to innovative research.

Prenatal greenspace exposure and cord blood cortisol levels: A cross-sectional study in a middle-income country

Exposure to greenspace has been associated with reduced stress; however, the available evidence on such an association for the fetus is still very scarce. We, for the first time, investigated the association between maternal greenspace exposure and the level of cortisol, a stress hormone, in the cord blood. Our study was based on a cohort of 150 pregnant women in Sabzevar, Iran (2018). We comprehensively assessed greenspace exposure for each participant through (i) residential surrounding greenspace (using two satellite-derived vegetation indices), (ii) residential proximity to green spaces, (iii) maternal visual access to greenspace, (iv) use of public and private green spaces, (v) having a private garden, and (vi) the number of plant pots at home. Linear regression models were developed to assess the association of each indicator of greenspace exposure with cord blood cortisol levels, controlled for the relevant covariates. We observed that a higher residential surrounding greenspace (100 m buffer), having a window with greenspace view, window greenspace coverage of more than 50%, frequently looking at greenspace through window, residential proximity to large green spaces, and more time spent in green spaces were associated with lower cortisol levels in the cord blood. The findings for residential surrounding greenspace at 300 m and 500 m buffers, residential proximity to any green space regardless of its size, having a private garden, and number of plant pots at home were not conclusive. While about one-third of the association between residential surrounding greenspace (100 m buffer) could be mediated through reduction in exposure to air pollution, we did not observe any strong evidence for such a mediatory role for the visual access to greenspace. The findings stratified for parental education and housing type showed mixed patterns. Our findings suggest that more greenspace exposure might reduce cortisol level in the cord blood.

Substrates and Clearance Products of Fetal Adrenal Glucocorticoid Synthesis in Full-Term Human Umbilical Circulation

In full-term elective caesarian sections, fetal flow of adrenal substrate steroids to products differs by sex, with males (M) in molar equilibrium whereas females (F) add net molarity and synthesize more cortisol. Using the same sampling design, paired, full-term, arterial, and venous umbilical cord samples and intrapartum chart records were obtained at the time of vaginal delivery (N = 167, 85 male) or emergency C-section (N = 38, 22 male). Eight steroids were quantified by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (adrenal glucocorticoids [cortisol, corticosterone], sequential cortisol precursor steroids [17-hydroxyprogesterone, 11-deoxycortisol], cortisol and corticosterone metabolites [cortisone and 11-dehydrocorticosterone], and gonadal steroids [androstenedione, testosterone]). Fetal sex was not significant in any analytic models. Going through both phase 1 and phase 2 labor increased fetal adrenal steroidogenesis and decreased male testosterone relative to emergency C-sections that do not reach stage 2 of labor (ie, head compressions) and elective C-sections with no labor. Sum adrenal steroid molarity arriving in venous serum was almost double the equivalent metric for deliveries without labor. No effects of operative vaginal delivery were noted. Maternal regional anesthetic suppressed venous concentrations, and fetal synthesis replaced that steroid. Approximate molar equivalence between substrate pool depletion and net glucocorticoid synthesis was seen. Paired venous and arterial umbilical cord serum has the potential to identify sex differences that underlie antenatal programming of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in later life. However, stage 2 labor before the collection of serum, and regional anesthetic for the mother, mask those sex differences.

Of 11 candidate steroids, corticosterone concentration standardized for mass is the most reliable steroid biomarker of nutritional stress across different feather types

Measuring corticosterone in feathers has become an informative tool in avian ecology, enabling researchers to investigate carry-over effects and responses to environmental variability. Few studies have, however, explored whether corticosterone is the only hormone expressed in feathers and is the most indicative of environmental stress. Essential questions remain as to how to compare hormone concentrations across different types of feathers and whether preening adds steroids, applied after feather growth.We used liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry to quantify a suite of 11 steroid hormones in back, breast, tail, and primary feathers naturally grown at overlapping time intervals by rhinoceros auklet Cerorhinca monocerata captive-reared fledglings and wild-caught juveniles. The captive-reared birds were raised on either a restricted or control diet. Measured steroids included intermediates in the adrenal steroidogenesis pathway to glucocorticoids and the sex steroids pathway to androgens and estrogens.Corticosterone was detected in the majority of feathers of each type. We also detected cortisone in back feathers, androstenedione in breast feathers, and testosterone in primary feathers. Captive fledglings raised on a restricted diet had higher concentrations of corticosterone in all four feather types than captive fledglings raised on a control diet. Corticosterone concentrations were reliably repeatable across feather types when standardized for feather mass, but not for feather length. Of the seven hormones looked for in uropygial gland secretions, only corticosterone was detected in one out of 23 samples.We conclude that corticosterone is the best feather-steroid biomarker for detection of developmental nutritional stress, as it was the only hormone to manifest a signal of nutritional stress, and that exposure to stress can be compared among different feather types when corticosterone concentrations are standardized by feather mass.