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Wei M, Gao Q, Liu J, Yang Y, Yang J, Fan J, Lv S, Yang S. Development programming: Stress during gestation alters offspring development in sheep. Reprod Domest Anim 2023; 58:1497-1511. [PMID: 37697713 DOI: 10.1111/rda.14465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Inappropriate management practices of domestic animals during pregnancy can be potential stressors, resulting in complex behavioural, physiological and neurological consequences in the developing offspring. Some of these consequences can last into adulthood or propagate to subsequent generations. We systematically summarized the results of different experimental patterns using artificially increased maternal glucocorticoid levels or prenatal maternal physiological stress paradigms, mediators between prenatal maternal stress (PMS) and programming effects in the offspring and the effects of PMS on offspring phenotypes in sheep. PMS can impair birthweight, regulate the development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, modify behavioural patterns and cognitive abilities and alter gene expression and brain morphology in offspring. Further research should focus on the effects of programming on gene expression, immune function, gut microbiome, sex-specific effects and maternal behaviour of offspring, especially comparative studies of gestational periods when PMS is applied, continual studies of programming effects on offspring and treatment strategies that effectively reverse the detrimental programming effects of prenatal stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingji Wei
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- College of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Qian Gao
- College of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Junjun Liu
- Hebei Agriculture University, Baoding, China
| | - Yan Yang
- Linyi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Linyi, China
| | - Jinyan Yang
- College of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Jingchang Fan
- Jiaxiang County Sheep Breeding Farm, Jiaxiang, China
| | - Shenjin Lv
- College of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Shengmei Yang
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
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2
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Fowden AL, Vaughan OR, Murray AJ, Forhead AJ. Metabolic Consequences of Glucocorticoid Exposure before Birth. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14112304. [PMID: 35684104 PMCID: PMC9182938 DOI: 10.3390/nu14112304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Glucocorticoids have an important role in development of the metabolic phenotype in utero. They act as environmental and maturational signals in adapting feto-placental metabolism to maximize the chances of survival both before and at birth. They influence placental nutrient handling and fetal metabolic processes to support fetal growth, fuel storage and energy production with respect to nutrient availability. More specifically, they regulate the transport, utilization and production of a range of nutrients by the feto-placental tissues that enables greater metabolic flexibility in utero while minimizing any further drain on maternal resources during periods of stress. Near term, the natural rise in fetal glucocorticoid concentrations also stimulates key metabolic adaptations that prepare tissues for the new energy demanding functions after birth. Glucocorticoids, therefore, have a central role in the metabolic communication between the mother, placenta and fetus that optimizes offspring metabolic phenotype for survival to reproductive age. This review discusses the effects of maternal and fetal glucocorticoids on the supply and utilization of nutrients by the feto-placental tissues with particular emphasis on studies using quantitative methods to assess metabolism in rodents and sheep in vivo during late pregnancy. It considers the routes of glucocorticoid overexposure in utero, including experimental administration of synthetic glucocorticoids, and the mechanisms by which these hormones control feto-placental metabolism at the molecular, cellular and systems levels. It also briefly examines the consequences of intrauterine glucocorticoid overexposure for postnatal metabolic health and the generational inheritance of metabolic phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail L. Fowden
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK; (A.J.M.); (A.J.F.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Owen R. Vaughan
- EGA Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, London WC1E 6HX, UK;
| | - Andrew J. Murray
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK; (A.J.M.); (A.J.F.)
| | - Alison J. Forhead
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK; (A.J.M.); (A.J.F.)
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
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3
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Agnew EJ, Garcia-Burgos A, Richardson RV, Manos H, Thomson AJW, Sooy K, Just G, Homer NZM, Moran CM, Brunton PJ, Gray GA, Chapman KE. Antenatal dexamethasone treatment transiently alters diastolic function in the mouse fetal heart. J Endocrinol 2019; 241:279-292. [PMID: 31013474 PMCID: PMC6541236 DOI: 10.1530/joe-18-0666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Endogenous glucocorticoid action is important in the structural and functional maturation of the fetal heart. In fetal mice, although glucocorticoid concentrations are extremely low before E14.5, glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is expressed in the heart from E10.5. To investigate whether activation of cardiac GR prior to E14.5 induces precocious fetal heart maturation, we administered dexamethasone in the drinking water of pregnant dams from E12.5 to E15.5. To test the direct effects of glucocorticoids upon the cardiovascular system we used SMGRKO mice, with Sm22-Cre-mediated disruption of GR in cardiomyocytes and vascular smooth muscle. Contrary to expectations, echocardiography showed no advancement of functional maturation of the fetal heart. Moreover, litter size was decreased 2 days following cessation of antenatal glucocorticoid exposure, irrespective of fetal genotype. The myocardial performance index and E/A wave ratio, markers of fetal heart maturation, were not significantly affected by dexamethasone treatment in either genotype. Dexamethasone treatment transiently decreased the myocardial deceleration index (MDI; a marker of diastolic function), in control fetuses at E15.5, with recovery by E17.5, 2 days after cessation of treatment. MDI was lower in SMGRKO than in control fetuses and was unaffected by dexamethasone. The transient decrease in MDI was associated with repression of cardiac GR in control fetuses following dexamethasone treatment. Measurement of glucocorticoid levels in fetal tissue and hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh) mRNA levels suggest complex and differential effects of dexamethasone treatment upon the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis between genotypes. These data suggest potentially detrimental and direct effects of antenatal glucocorticoid treatment upon fetal heart function.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J Agnew
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A Garcia-Burgos
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - R V Richardson
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - H Manos
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A J W Thomson
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - K Sooy
- Mass Spectrometry Core, Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility, Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - G Just
- Mass Spectrometry Core, Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility, Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - N Z M Homer
- Mass Spectrometry Core, Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility, Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - C M Moran
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - P J Brunton
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh, UK
| | - G A Gray
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - K E Chapman
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
- Correspondence should be addressed to K E Chapman:
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Abstract
Prenatal exposure to excess steroids or steroid mimics can disrupt the normal developmental trajectory of organ systems, culminating in adult disease. The metabolic system is particularly susceptible to the deleterious effects of prenatal steroid excess. Studies in sheep demonstrate that prenatal exposure to excess native steroids or endocrine-disrupting chemicals with steroidogenic activity, such as bisphenol A, results in postnatal development of numerous cardiometabolic perturbations, including insulin resistance, increased adiposity, altered adipocyte size and distribution, and hypertension. The similarities in the phenotypic outcomes programmed by these different prenatal insults suggest that common mechanisms may be involved, and these may include hormonal imbalances (e.g., hyperandrogenism and hyperinsulinemia), oxidative stress, inflammation, lipotoxicity, and epigenetic alterations. Animal models, including the sheep, provide mechanistic insight into the metabolic repercussions associated with prenatal steroid exposure and represent valuable research tools in understanding human health and disease. Focusing on the sheep model, this review summarizes the cardiometabolic perturbations programmed by prenatal exposure to different native steroids and steroid mimics and discusses the potential mechanisms underlying the development of adverse outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo C Cardoso
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
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Agnew EJ, Ivy JR, Stock SJ, Chapman KE. Glucocorticoids, antenatal corticosteroid therapy and fetal heart maturation. J Mol Endocrinol 2018; 61:R61-R73. [PMID: 29720513 PMCID: PMC5976079 DOI: 10.1530/jme-18-0077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are essential in mammals to mature fetal organs and tissues in order to survive after birth. Hence, antenatal glucocorticoid treatment (termed antenatal corticosteroid therapy) can be life-saving in preterm babies and is commonly used in women at risk of preterm birth. While the effects of glucocorticoids on lung maturation have been well described, the effects on the fetal heart remain less clear. Experiments in mice have shown that endogenous glucocorticoid action is required to mature the fetal heart. However, whether the potent synthetic glucocorticoids used in antenatal corticosteroid therapy have similar maturational effects on the fetal heart is less clear. Moreover, antenatal corticosteroid therapy may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Here, we present a narrative review of the evidence relating to the effects of antenatal glucocorticoid action on the fetal heart and discuss the implications for antenatal corticosteroid therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma J Agnew
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular ScienceUniversity of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jessica R Ivy
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular ScienceUniversity of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sarah J Stock
- MRC Centre for Reproductive HealthUniversity of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Karen E Chapman
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular ScienceUniversity of Edinburgh, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
- Correspondence should be addressed to K E Chapman:
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Vaughan OR, De Blasio MJ, Fowden AL. Ovine uteroplacental and fetal metabolism during and after fetal cortisol overexposure in late gestation. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2018; 314:R791-R801. [PMID: 29443545 PMCID: PMC6032307 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00194.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Cortisol modifies fetal metabolism in preparation for delivery, but whether preterm cortisol exposure programs persisting changes in fetoplacental metabolism remains unknown. This study infused fetal sheep with saline ( n = 36) or cortisol ( n = 27) to raise fetal plasma cortisol to normal prepartum concentrations for 5 days from day 125 of gestation (term: ≈145 days). Fetal uptake and uteroplacental metabolism of glucose, oxygen, and lactate, together with fetal hepatic glucogenic capacity, were measured on the final day of infusion or 5 days later. Cortisol reduced adrenal weight and umbilical glucose uptake during infusion but increased fetal glucose concentrations, hepatic glycogen content, and hepatic glucogenic enzyme activity (fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and glucose-6-phosphatase) and gene expression ( PC and G6PC) compared with saline infusion. Postcortisol infusion, umbilical glucose uptake, and hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase activity remained low and high, respectively, whereas fetal glucose levels normalized and hepatic glycogen was lower with higher adrenal weights than in controls. Cortisol infusion increased the proportion of total uterine glucose uptake consumed by the uteroplacental tissues, irrespective of age. Placental tracer glucose transport capacity was also increased after, but not during, cortisol infusion, without changes in placental glucose transporter gene expression. Blood lactate concentration and Pco2 were higher, whereas pH and O2 content were lower in cortisol-infused than saline-infused fetuses, although uteroplacental metabolism and fetal uptake of oxygen and lactate were unaltered. The results suggest that preterm cortisol overexposure alters fetoplacental metabolism and adrenal function subsequently with persisting increases in uteroplacental glucose consumption at the expense of the fetal supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- O R Vaughan
- Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge , Cambridge , United Kingdom
| | - M J De Blasio
- Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge , Cambridge , United Kingdom
| | - A L Fowden
- Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge , Cambridge , United Kingdom
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Karrow NA, Lee AV, Quinton M, McBride BW, Fisher-Heffernan RE. Ovine hippocampal mRNA expression in offspring from dams supplemented with fishmeal and stress challenged in late pregnancy with endotoxin. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 3:39-45. [PMID: 29767075 PMCID: PMC5941082 DOI: 10.1016/j.aninu.2016.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has shown that adulthood disease can be attributed to stress events that occur during gestation. The objective of the present study was to determine whether maternal stress during late pregnancy, using a bacterial endotoxemia model, causes changes in hippocampal mRNA expression of candidate genes related to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) regulation in sheep. This study also sought to investigate whether maternal diets supplemented with fishmeal (FM) rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) offer protection to the fetus when subjected to maternal endotoxin stress. Using RT-qPCR, relative mRNA expression was assessed in both fetal lambs and 6-month-old lambs from dams supplemented with soybean meal (SM) or FM and challenged with either endotoxin or saline. From this it was found that fetal mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) gene expression had a tendency to be altered during endotoxin challenge, however, in the 6-month-old offspring, MR and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene expression were differently altered across treatment groups. These results suggest that gene regulation within the hippocampus is altered into adulthood by maternal endotoxin stress and that dietary supplementation affects outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niel A Karrow
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph N1G2W1, Canada
| | - Alison V Lee
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph N1G2W1, Canada
| | - Margaret Quinton
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph N1G2W1, Canada
| | - Brian W McBride
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph N1G2W1, Canada
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Fowden AL, Valenzuela OA, Vaughan OR, Jellyman JK, Forhead AJ. Glucocorticoid programming of intrauterine development. Domest Anim Endocrinol 2016; 56 Suppl:S121-32. [PMID: 27345310 DOI: 10.1016/j.domaniend.2016.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Revised: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are important environmental and maturational signals during intrauterine development. Toward term, the maturational rise in fetal glucocorticoid receptor concentrations decreases fetal growth and induces differentiation of key tissues essential for neonatal survival. When cortisol levels rise earlier in gestation as a result of suboptimal conditions for fetal growth, the switch from tissue accretion to differentiation is initiated prematurely, which alters the phenotype that develops from the genotype inherited at conception. Although this improves the chances of survival should delivery occur, it also has functional consequences for the offspring long after birth. Glucocorticoids are, therefore, also programming signals that permanently alter tissue structure and function during intrauterine development to optimize offspring fitness. However, if the postnatal environmental conditions differ from those signaled in utero, the phenotypical outcome of early-life glucocorticoid receptor overexposure may become maladaptive and lead to physiological dysfunction in the adult. This review focuses on the role of GCs in developmental programming, primarily in farm species. It examines the factors influencing GC bioavailability in utero and the effects that GCs have on the development of fetal tissues and organ systems, both at term and earlier in gestation. It also discusses the windows of susceptibility to GC overexposure in early life together with the molecular mechanisms and long-term consequences of GC programming with particular emphasis on the cardiovascular, metabolic, and endocrine phenotype of the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L Fowden
- Centre for Trophoblast and Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.
| | - O A Valenzuela
- Centre for Trophoblast and Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - O R Vaughan
- Centre for Trophoblast and Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - J K Jellyman
- Centre for Trophoblast and Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, USA
| | - A J Forhead
- Centre for Trophoblast and Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK; Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
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Jellyman JK, Valenzuela OA, Fowden AL. HORSE SPECIES SYMPOSIUM: Glucocorticoid programming of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and metabolic function: Animal studies from mouse to horse1,2. J Anim Sci 2015; 93:3245-60. [DOI: 10.2527/jas.2014-8612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- J. K. Jellyman
- Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502
| | - O. A. Valenzuela
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - A. L. Fowden
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
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Braun T, Meng W, Shang H, Li S, Sloboda DM, Ehrlich L, Lange K, Xu H, Henrich W, Dudenhausen JW, Plagemann A, Newnham JP, Challis JRG. Early dexamethasone treatment induces placental apoptosis in sheep. Reprod Sci 2014; 22:47-59. [PMID: 25063551 DOI: 10.1177/1933719114542028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid treatment given in late pregnancy in sheep resulted in altered placental development and function. An imbalance of placental survival and apoptotic factors resulting in an increased rate of apoptosis may be involved. We have now investigated the effects of dexamethasone (DEX) in early pregnancy on binucleate cells (BNCs), placental apoptosis, and fetal sex as a determinant of these responses. Pregnant ewes carrying singleton fetuses (n = 105) were randomized to control (n = 56, 2 mL saline/ewe) or DEX treatment (n = 49, intramuscular injections of 0.14 mg/kg ewe weight per 12 hours over 48 hours) at 40 to 41 days of gestation (dG). Placentomes were collected at 50, 100, 125, and 140 dG. At 100 dG, DEX in females reduced BNC numbers, placental antiapoptotic (proliferating cell nuclear antigen), and increased proapoptotic factors (Bax, p53), associated with a temporarily decrease in fetal growth. At 125 dG, BNC numbers and apoptotic markers were restored to normal. In males, ovine placental lactogen-protein levels after DEX were increased at 50 dG, but at 100 and 140 dG significantly decreased compared to controls. In contrast to females, these changes were independent of altered BNC numbers or apoptotic markers. Early DEX was associated with sex-specific, transient alterations in BNC numbers, which may contribute to changes in placental and fetal development. Furthermore, in females, altered placental apoptosis markers may be involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten Braun
- Division of Experimental Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics, Study Group Perinatal Programming, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany
| | - Wenbin Meng
- Division of Experimental Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics, Study Group Perinatal Programming, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Hongkai Shang
- Division of Experimental Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics, Study Group Perinatal Programming, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shaofu Li
- School of Women's and Infants' Health, King Edward Memorial Hospital, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Deborah M Sloboda
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Loreen Ehrlich
- Division of Experimental Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics, Study Group Perinatal Programming, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany
| | - Karolin Lange
- Division of Experimental Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics, Study Group Perinatal Programming, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany
| | - Huaisheng Xu
- Division of Experimental Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics, Study Group Perinatal Programming, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Linyi People's Hospital, Lanshan, China
| | - Wolfgang Henrich
- Division of Experimental Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics, Study Group Perinatal Programming, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany
| | - Joachim W Dudenhausen
- Division of Experimental Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics, Study Group Perinatal Programming, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Plagemann
- Division of Experimental Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics, Study Group Perinatal Programming, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany
| | - John P Newnham
- School of Women's and Infants' Health, King Edward Memorial Hospital, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - John R G Challis
- School of Women's and Infants' Health, King Edward Memorial Hospital, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia Department of Physiology Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada
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11
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Effects of glucocorticoid treatment given in early or late gestation on growth and development in sheep. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2013; 4:146-56. [DOI: 10.1017/s204017441200075x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Antenatal corticosteroids are used to augment fetal lung maturity in human pregnancy. Dexamethasone (DEX) is also used to treat congenital adrenal hyperplasia of the fetus in early pregnancy. We previously reported effects of synthetic corticosteroids given to sheep in early or late gestation on pregnancy length and fetal cortisol levels and glucocorticoids alter plasma insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) concentrations in late pregnancy and reduce fetal weight. The effects of administering DEX in early pregnancy on fetal organ weights and betamethasone (BET) given in late gestation on weights of fetal brain regions or organ development have not been reported. We hypothesized that BET or DEX administration at either stage of pregnancy would have deleterious effects on fetal development and associated hormones. In early pregnancy, DEX was administered as four injections at 12-hourly intervals over 48 h commencing at 40–42 days of gestation (dG). There was no consistent effect on fetal weight, or individual fetal organ weights, except in females at 7 months postnatal age. When BET was administered at 104, 111 and 118 dG, the previously reported reduction in total fetal weight was associated with significant reductions in weights of fetal brain, cerebellum, heart, kidney and liver. Fetal plasma insulin, leptin and triiodothyronine were also reduced at different times in fetal and postnatal life. We conclude that at the amounts given, the sheep fetus is sensitive to maternal administration of synthetic glucocorticoid in late gestation, with effects on growth and metabolic hormones that may persist into postnatal life.
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