title: Chronic maternal hypoxia. Effect of mid-gestational maternal hypoxia on methionine-enkephalin concentrations within pre- and postnatal rabbit brainstem regions.
abstract: We examined the effect of chronic maternal hypoxia on methionine-enkephalin concentrations in fetal (gestational day E-28) and neonatal (postnatal days 3, 7, 21) brainstem regions. Pregnant rabbits were housed in environmental chambers at gestational day E-10. Between E-14 and E-28 the pregnant rabbits were separated into two groups. Group I were controls (C) and breathed 21% O2/79% N2 and group II, hypoxia (H), breathed 12-14% O2/86-88% N2. Sacrifice occurred at various days depending on the experimental paridigm. On gestational day E-28, the first group of 6 pregnant animals (3 C, 3 H) were delivered by hysterotomy and the pups were immediately sacrificed. On and after gestational day E-28, the remaining 12 pregnant animals breathed room air. These animals delivered spontaneously between 30 and 32 days of gestation. The pups remained with their mothers until sacrifice. On postnatal days 3, 7, or 21, methionine-enkephalin was measured by radioimmunoassay in the colliculi (fetal animals), superior and inferior colliculi (postnatal animals), pons and medulla (both groups). In both normoxia-exposed and hypoxia-exposed animals, methionine-enkephalin was highest in the medulla, intermediate in the pons, and lowest in the colliculi. Chronic maternal hypoxia significantly increased the methionine-enkephalin concentration in the pons of E-28 fetuses (p less than 0.02). Levels were increased in the medulla as well but these did not reach significance (p = 0.09).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gingras
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Long
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine