Abstract: Chronic intermittent prenatal stress alters sexual development in male rats

Keywords: Prenatal stress; noradrenaline; vas deferens.
Stress is a common poblem in our society, but there are not enough information about its effect over the descendants. The gestational period is a critical period of organ development; any disturbance may cause permanent changes, visualized in the adult life. For example, exposure to stress during the gestational period alters brain development and may increase susceptibility to subsequent cognitive or neuropsychiatric disorders. The vas deferens, that transport sperm from the epididymis in anticipation of ejaculation, is supplied with a dense sympathetic innervation, and stimulation of the nerves results in a biphasic mechanical response that consists of an initial rapid twitch, followed by a maintained contraction; the first phase of the response is mediated mainly by ATP acting on postjunctional P2X receptors, whereas the second phase is mediated mainly by noradrenaline (NA) acting on α1-adrenoceptors. The objective of this study was to evaluate the adrenal-gonadal function in male offsprings of stressed rats along the gestational period. We used a stress model in pregnant rats that mimic the laboral stress (4°C for 3 h/day, five days a week), that trigger the sympathetic response, but does not affect basal plasma levels of corticosterone. We measured NA at 4, 33, 39 and 60 postnatal day in male offsprings of stressed rats, that correspond to neonatal, prepuber, puber and adult period. We detected an increment in NA of adrenal glands and vas deferens over that of unstressed mother sons that correlates with the sexual development, with a maximum at 39 day. Also, we detected an increment in the expression of Tyrosine Hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine-β hydroxylase (DBH) both enzymes related to NA synthesis. These results suggest that chronic prenatal stress produces an alteration in the adrenal-gonadal axis in the offspring of stressed rats, that may modify the reproductive capacity in the adult life. Functional analysis are needed to confirm this conclusions.