Effect of maternal nutrient restriction in early gestation on development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in fetal sheep at 0.8-0.9 of gestation
in Journal of EndocrinologySearch for other papers by P Hawkins in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by C Steyn in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by HH McGarrigle in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by T Saito in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by T Ozaki in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by LL Stratford in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by DE Noakes in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by MA Hanson in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
The fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has numerous key roles in development. Epidemiological data have linked adverse prenatal nutrition with altered organ development and increased incidence of disease in adult life. We studied HPA axis development in resting and stimulated states in late gestation fetal sheep, following 15% reduction in maternal nutritional intake over the first 70 days of gestation (dGA). Fetuses from control (C) and nutrient-restricted (R) ewes were chronically catheterised and response profiles for ACTH and cortisol were determined at 113-116 and 125-127 dGA after administration of corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) and arginine vasopressin (AVP). At 126-128 dGA cortisol profiles were also determined following ACTH administration. Basal ACTH and cortisol concentrations were not different between C and R fetuses. In R fetuses, ACTH response to CRH+AVP was significantly smaller at 113-116 dGA (P<0.01), and cortisol responses were smaller at both 113-116 dGA (P<0.01) and 125-127 dGA (P<0.0001). Cortisol response to ACTH was also smaller in R fetuses (P<0.001). We conclude that, in late gestation fetal sheep, pituitary and adrenal responsiveness is reduced following modest maternal nutrient restriction in early gestation.
Journal of Endocrinology is committed to supporting researchers in demonstrating the impact of their articles published in the journal.
The two types of article metrics we measure are (i) more traditional full-text views and pdf downloads, and (ii) Altmetric data, which shows the wider impact of articles in a range of non-traditional sources, such as social media.
More information is on the Reasons to publish page.
| Sept 2018 onwards | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Text Views | 204 | 87 | 16 |
| PDF Downloads | 117 | 42 | 1 |
Online ISSN: 1479-6805
Print ISSN: 0022-0795
Strengthening biomedical communities
to advance science and health
CONTACT US
Bioscientifica Ltd | Starling House | 1600 Bristol Parkway North | Bristol BS34 8YU | UK
Bioscientifica Ltd | Registered in England no 3190519