Abstract according to Dr Leyton's correction: Chronic intermittent prenatal stress alters sexual development in male rats

Keywords: Prenatal stress; noradrenaline; vas deferens.
The gestational period is a critical for organ development; any disturbance may cause permanent changes. Vas deferens, wich 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 followed by a maintained contraction mediated mainly by noradrenaline (NA) acting on α1-adrenoceptors. Previous studies have shown that prenatal stress procedures chronically activate sympathetic nerves activity and lead to polycystic conditions in female rats similar as in human, but no information regarding to stressed males has been published. 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, 5 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 postnatal 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.