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Attenuated Myocardial Effects of Prenatal Stress on Female Rats
Author(s) -
Chen Fangping,
Mullenax Heather,
Xie Sherry,
Finkel Mitchell S.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.1029.3
Subject(s) - offspring , medicine , endocrinology , contractility , prenatal stress , hemodynamics , inotrope , pregnancy , biology , genetics
Third trimester maternal stress (prenatal stress; PS) has been demonstrated to result in behavioral changes in male offspring consistent with mood disorders in humans. Predominant effects on male offspring are consistent findings, regardless of the PS paradigm used. We have previously reported echo and hemodynamic evidence in vivo and cardiac myocyte evidence in vitro of myocardial dysfunction and adrenergic desensitization in male PS rats followed by restraint stress (R) (PS+R) compared with matched Control offspring of non‐stressed dams (Control + R). Accordingly, we sought to determine if female PS rats were protected from myocardial effects of PS as they are from behavioral effects. Consistent with prior behavioral assessments, there were no significant differences between baseline hemodynamics (+dp/dt;−dp/dt) in awake female PS+R vs female Control+R (p=NS; n=6–8). However, more subtle effects of PS+R on contractility (+dp/dt) were demonstrable in female PS+R following beta adrenergic stimulation with isoproterenol (ISO) (p<0.05; n=6–8) or isoflurane anesthesia (p<0.05; n=6–8). In addition, cardiac myocytes isolated from female PS+R also revealed a blunted inotropic response to ISO vs female PS+R (p<0.05; n=15). However, female PS+R were more responsive to ISO than male PS+R (p<0.05; n=15). These data support a protective effect of female sex on myocardial, as well as behavioral consequences of PS.