AMPHETAMINE PRENATAL EXPOSURE INFLUENCES SEX-DEPENDENT PITUITARY RECEPTORS EXPRESSION IN RESPONSE TO STRESS IN ADULT RATS

SANTONJA F.E.; PIETROBON EO; SANCHEZ B; MORENO-SOSA MT; BREGONZIO C; VALDEZ SR; NEIRA FJ; JAHN GA; SOAJE M

San Luis

Congreso; Cuyo Biology Society XXXVII Annual Meeting Abstracts; 2019

SBCuyo

Sex steroids modulate brain dopaminergic systems and influence neuroadaptive changes induced by prenatal exposure to amphetamine (PEA). Pituitary dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) and prolactin receptor (PRLR) are involved in the modulation of prolactin synthesis and secretion, and the endocrine milieu regulates prolactin in basal and stress conditions. Our objective was to evaluate the sex differences in pituitary D2R and long PRLR isoform expression following stress in adult PEA and control rats. Female Wistar rats were treated daily with amphetamine 2.5 mg/kg i.p./saline during days 15 to 21 of pregnancy. Their offspring were sexed, and the females were OVX at day 60 and 15 days later treated with estrogen/oil (E2; 2 x 5 μg/rat/24 h). At 75 days, male, OVX, and OVX+E2 rats were exposed to immobilization stress for 30 min. Blood and tissue samples were collected for corticosterone by RIA, and the pituitaries were obtained to determine D2R, PRLR (long) expression, and PRL content by real-time PCR and Western blots (WB). The data were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA. Our results showed that, in basal male control rats, corticosterone levels were lower than OVX+E2, and PEA blunted this response (*P