Garvey D, Akana S, Weisman A, Timiras P S
J Endocrinol. 1979 Mar;80(3):333-42. doi: 10.1677/joe.0.0800333.
To study the effects of chronic maternal hypoxia on the growth and functional development of foetal and neonatal adrenal glands, Long-Evans rats were acclimatized to high altitude (3800 m) before mating and were maintained at this height throughout gestation. The body growth of the progeny at high altitude was essentially normal during the perinatal period, but adrenal weight and adrenocortical function showed marked differences from those of control rats maintained at sea level. The adrenal glands were larger in foetuses but smaller in neonates, compared with the adrenal glands of control animals maintained at sea level. Differences in the protein content of the adrenal glands between the two groups paralleled differences in adrenal weight. The concentration and content of corticosterone in the adrenal glands of both foetuses and neonates kept at high altitude were markedly lower than values in animals kept at sea level. The lower adrenal corticosterone content was not reflected in the concentration of the hormone in the peripheral plasma, since this was essentially the same at high altitude and at sea level in both mothers and perinatal animals. The reduction in the adrenal corticosterone content was accompanied by and may have resulted from, a reduction in the concentration of cytochrome P-450 in the adrenal tissue of foetuses maintained at high altitude. Possible explanations for the dichotomous results are discussed.
为研究慢性母体缺氧对胎儿及新生儿肾上腺生长和功能发育的影响，将Long-Evans大鼠在交配前置于高海拔地区（3800米）适应环境，并在整个妊娠期维持在该高度。高海拔地区子代的身体生长在围产期基本正常，但肾上腺重量和肾上腺皮质功能与维持在海平面的对照大鼠相比有显著差异。与维持在海平面的对照动物的肾上腺相比，胎儿的肾上腺较大，而新生儿的肾上腺较小。两组肾上腺蛋白质含量的差异与肾上腺重量的差异平行。维持在高海拔地区的胎儿和新生儿肾上腺中皮质酮的浓度和含量均明显低于维持在海平面的动物。肾上腺皮质酮含量降低并未反映在外周血浆中该激素的浓度上，因为在高海拔地区和海平面，母亲及围产期动物的外周血浆浓度基本相同。维持在高海拔地区的胎儿肾上腺组织中细胞色素P-450浓度降低，这伴随着肾上腺皮质酮含量的降低，且可能是其原因。文中讨论了这些二分结果的可能解释。
