Effect of maternal restraint stress on fetal development of ICR mice.
The present study was conducted to elucidate the susceptibility of embryos and fetuses at different gestational stages to the maternal stress in mice. Groups of pregnant ICR mice were subjected to daily 12-h restraint stress, taped in the supine position on a plastic board, on gestational days (GD) 1-4, 5-8, 9-12 and 13-16, respectively. Caesarean sections were performed on gestational day 18, and the fetuses were weighed and examined for morphological defects. During the daily restraint for 4 days, the maternal body weights markedly decreased. Although the body weights recovered gradually after termination of the stress, the recovery was not full until the final stage of pregnancy. Interestingly, restraint stress caused growth retardation of the fetuses, leading to a significant decrease in their body weights, and increased early and late resorptions of embryos and fetuses according to the stress periods. Although the preceding (GD1-4) and concurrent (GD5-8) stresses did not affect embryonic implantation, restraint stress on GD9-12 caused cleft palate. Whereas vertebral abnormalities, mainly bipartite ossification, were observed only in animals stressed on GD5-8, abnormalities of sternebrae, exhibiting asymmetric or bipartite ossification, were enhanced by the stress at all of the gestational stages. On the other hand, the incidence of other malformations including renal malposition and costal abnormalities was not increased by stress at any of the 4 stages. Taken together, the results suggest that intensive restraint stress influences the maternal body weight resulting in growth retardation and increased mortality of embryos and fetuses, in addition to gestational stage-specific ventricular dilatation, cleft palate and sternal abnormalities.
Lee
Yea Eun
YE
College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Korea.
Byun
Sang Kuk
SK
Shin
Sunhee
S
Jang
Ja Young
JY
Choi
Byong-il
BI
Park
Dongsun
D
Jeon
Jeong Hee
JH
Nahm
Sang-Seop
SS
Kang
Jong-Koo
JK
Hwang
Seock-Yeon
SY
Kim
Jong-Choon
JC
Kim
Yun-Bae
YB
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000662:veterinary; D005865:Gestational Age; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000502:physiology*; D012376:Rodent Diseases; D013131:Spine / Q000002:abnormalities