title: Prenatal stress alters the hypothalamic levels of methionine-enkephalin in pup rats.
abstract: We examined hypothalamic Methionine-enkephalin levels in offspring (postnatal day 10) from stressed female rats in different period of gestation: Group 1, restraint stress day 2 through 6; group 2, restraint stress day 7 through 11; group 3, restraint stress day 12 through day 16 and group 4, restraint stress day 2 through day 16. The hypothalamic levels of Methionine-enkephalin (134.37 +/- 6.19 pg/mg) in the offspring of stressed females from day 2 to day 6 of gestation were significantly (p < 0.001) higher than that obtained in the control group (100.66 +/- 10.13 pg/mg). Similar results were obtained in groups 2 and 3. However, in rat pups from females stressed during 15 days of gestation (group 4) the hypothalamic levels of Methionine-enkephalin (96.5 +/- 6.33 pg/mg) were similar to that obtained in the control group (101.5 +/- 5.15 pg/mg). These results suggest that acute prenatal stress alters the endogenous opioid activity in offspring with possible resultant effects on developmental processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University School of Medicine, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Milanés
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fuente
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Laorden
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine