Draft2 Chronic intermittent prenatal stress alters sexual development in male rats

Keywords: Prenatal stress; noradrenaline; vas deferens.
Stress is a common problem in our society, but there are not enough information about its effects on the descendants. The gestational period is a critic period of organ development; any disturbance may cause permanent changes, affecting adulthood, like alterations in brain development and an increased susceptibility to subsequent cognitive or neuropsychiatric disorders. Vas deferens, that transports sperm from the epididymis in anticipation of ejaculation, is supplied with a dense sympathetic innervation, and stimulation of these nerves results in a biphasic mechanical response that consists of an initial rapid twitch (mediated by ATP acting on P2X receptors), followed by a maintained contraction mediated mainly by noradrenaline (NA) acting on α1-adrenoceptors. The aim 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 emulate 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 that correspond to neonatal, prepuber, puber and adult period. We detected an increase in NA of adrenal glands and vas deferens over that of unstressed mother offsprings 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 analyses are needed to confirm this conclusions.