Reznikov A G, Nosenko N D, Tarasenko L V
Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Kiev, Ukraine.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 1999 Apr-Jun;69(1-6):109-15. doi: 10.1016/s0960-0760(98)00151-4.
Hormonal and neurotransmitter environment of nondifferentiated cells in the developing brain determines many of gender-specific behavioural and neuroendocrine functions. Early postnatal and long-term effects of maternal stress or prenatal glucocorticoid on sex-related peculiarities of the brain morphology, biogenic monoamine turnover, testosterone metabolism, hypothalamic noradrenaline (NA) and adrenocortical responses to an acute stress were studied in Wistar rat offsprings. Maternal stress (1 h immobilization daily for gestational days 15-21) prevented development of sexual dimorphism in neuronal cell nuclei volumes in suprachiazmatic nucleus (SCN) in 10 day old pups. That was associated with a disappearance of male female differences in NA and 5-hydroxytryptamine turnover in the preoptic area (POA) and dopamine (DA) turnover in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) by decreasing them in male pups. Hydrocortisone acetate (5 mg daily during the last week of pregnancy) produced changes in NA turnover in the POA of males and females which were quite similar to those after maternal stress. Changes in aromatase and 5alpha-reductase activities in the POA of male pups were quite opposite as affected by maternal stress or prenatal glucocorticoid. Sexual differences in 5alpha-reductase activity in the MBH appeared due to its increase in prenatally stressed male pups. In contrast to adult males, in adult females maternal stress did not restrict hypothalamic NA and blood plasma corticosterone response to acute stress (1 h immobilization). Our findings on morphology and functions of gender-related developing brain areas stand in correlation with modifying effects of maternal stress and prenatal glucocorticoid on behavior and neuroendocrine regulations.
发育中大脑未分化细胞的激素和神经递质环境决定了许多性别特异性的行为和神经内分泌功能。在Wistar大鼠后代中，研究了母体应激或产前糖皮质激素对脑形态、生物源性单胺周转率、睾酮代谢、下丘脑去甲肾上腺素（NA）以及肾上腺皮质对急性应激反应的性别相关特性的产后早期和长期影响。母体应激（妊娠第15 - 21天每天固定1小时）阻止了10日龄幼崽视交叉上核（SCN）神经元细胞核体积性二态性的发育。这与视前区（POA）中NA和5 - 羟色胺周转率以及中基底下丘脑（MBH）中多巴胺（DA）周转率的雌雄差异消失有关，原因是雄性幼崽中这些指标降低。醋酸氢化可的松（妊娠最后一周每天5毫克）使雄性和雌性POA中NA周转率发生变化，这与母体应激后的变化非常相似。母体应激或产前糖皮质激素对雄性幼崽POA中芳香化酶和5α - 还原酶活性的影响完全相反。产前应激的雄性幼崽中MBH的5α - 还原酶活性增加，导致了MBH中5α - 还原酶活性的性别差异。与成年雄性不同，成年雌性中母体应激并不限制下丘脑NA和血浆皮质酮对急性应激（固定1小时）的反应。我们关于性别相关发育脑区形态和功能的研究结果与母体应激和产前糖皮质激素对行为和神经内分泌调节的调节作用相关。
