Emgård Mia, Paradisi Michela, Pirondi Stefania, Fernandez Mercedes, Giardino Luciana, Calzà Laura
Department of Veterinary Morphophysiology and Animal Production, University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano Emilia Bologna, Italy.
Neurobiol Aging. 2007 Jan;28(1):112-21. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2005.11.015. Epub 2006 Jan 6.
Prenatal treatment with synthetic glucocorticoids is commonly used as a treatment for women at risk of preterm delivery. However, little is known about the life-long consequences of these treatments on the fetus. In the present study, we evaluated cognitive function as well as susceptibility of cholinergic neurons to (192)IgG-saporin immunolesion in adult rats after prenatal glucocorticoid treatment. Morris water maze results revealed a significant difference in learning and memory function in adult rats that were prenatally exposed to dexamethasone, and further cognitive deficits after (192)IgG-saporin exposure. Choline acetyl transferase activity was decreased in the cortex of dexamethasone-treated rats compared with controls. In addition, rats prenatally exposed to either dexa, or betamethasone revealed a dramatic decrease in choline acetyl transferase activity compared to control rats after (192)IgG-saporin lesion. We report behavioral and biochemical evidence for altered cognitive function and increased susceptibility of cholinergic neurons to (192)IgG-saporin in adult rats after prenatal glucocorticoid treatment. Taken together, these results suggest that prenatal treatment with dexamethasone could affect cognitive functions and render cholinergic neurons more vulnerable to challenges later in life.
合成糖皮质激素的产前治疗通常用于有早产风险的女性。然而，这些治疗对胎儿的终身影响却知之甚少。在本研究中，我们评估了成年大鼠在产前接受糖皮质激素治疗后胆碱能神经元对（192）IgG-皂草素免疫损伤的认知功能和易感性。莫里斯水迷宫实验结果显示，产前暴露于地塞米松的成年大鼠在学习和记忆功能上存在显著差异，且在（192）IgG-皂草素暴露后出现进一步的认知缺陷。与对照组相比，地塞米松处理的大鼠皮质中的胆碱乙酰转移酶活性降低。此外，产前暴露于地塞米松或倍他米松的大鼠在（192）IgG-皂草素损伤后，与对照大鼠相比，胆碱乙酰转移酶活性显著降低。我们报告了行为和生化证据，表明成年大鼠在产前接受糖皮质激素治疗后，认知功能改变，胆碱能神经元对（192）IgG-皂草素的易感性增加。综上所述，这些结果表明，地塞米松的产前治疗可能会影响认知功能，并使胆碱能神经元在生命后期更容易受到挑战。
