Prenatal stress: A morphological and endocrine overview in male rats progeny

PALLARÉS ME; ADROVER E; KATUNAR MR; BAIER CJ; GONZÁLEZ-CALVAR SI; ANTONELLI MC

San Diego, California, Estados Unidos

Congreso; 40th Annual Meeting Neuroscience 2010; 2010

Society for Neuroscience

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; mso-font-alt:"Century Gothic"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:ES-AR; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:70.85pt 85.05pt 70.85pt 85.05pt; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> Maternal stress has been reported to induce long term behavioral and biochemical abnormalities in their offspring.  For example, it was shown to suppress testosterone (T) surge that occurs in the male embryo between gestational days 17 and 18, responsible for the brain sexual differentiation. In a first approach to evaluate the hypothalamic- pituitary- testicular (HPT) axis  in our model of prenatal stress (PS) we analyzed external and histological morphometric parameters and quantified androgens serum levels. Pregnant Wistar dams were subjected to three daily- 45 min period sessions of restraint stress, between 14 and 21 days of gestation. Anogenital distances were measured at postnatal day (PND) 1, 10 and 21. Analysis of testis descent, defined as the day when both testes fully descended into the scrotal sac, was initiated on PND 21. Hormonal status of 28, 35, 45, 60 and 75 days old male progeny was determined by measuring T and 5-a Androstane- 3-a, 17b- Diol (DIOL) serum levels by radioimmunoassay. Finally, the testes of 35 and 60 days old animals were processed for histological morphometric measures: the maturation of the spermatogenic epithelium was assessed by applying the Johnsen’s score. We also quantified the mean tubular diameter and Leydig cell’s number. PS reduced anogenital distance of the progeny at PND 21 in comparison to control (C) animals. Moreover, while C animals complete their testis descent at PND 23, PS animals showed a 2-day delay (i.e. PND 25). T serum levels analysis revealed a 40% increase on PS offspring T serum concentrations in comparison with C at PND 60 and 75. Diol serum levels were found to increase 61 and 63% in PS offspring at PND 28 and 45 respectively.  Additionally, we found an accelerated spermatogenesis on 35 and 60 days old PS rats showing a higher Johnsen’s Score, in comparison to C animals. The mean tubular diameter was also augmented in PS animals. However, the mean Leydig Cell’s number was reduced on PS rats. Our result demonstrated that stress during gestation induces long term effects on the male progeny HPT axis, thereby resulting in abnormal anogenital distance and testicular descent in the animals. Additionally, androgen serum levels were also modified and the spermatogenesis was advanced in the rats belonging to this group. We are researching more aspects of the male progeny HPT axis; however our results encourage the fact that a perinatal insult could exert persistent effects on the progeny.