title: Exposure of mother rats to chronic unpredictable stress before pregnancy alters the metabolism of gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate in the right hippocampus of offspring in early adolescence in a sexually dimorphic manner.
abstract: There is increasing evidence that mothers' exposure to stress before or during pregnancy is linked to an incidence of psychiatric disorders in offspring. However, a few studies have estimated the role of sex in the detrimental effects of pre-gestational stress on the offspring rats at early adolescence. Sex differences regarding the metabolism of gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate in the right hippocampus were investigated by MRS when the offspring rats reached 30 days. Additionally, the impact of pre-gestational stress exposed on an additional short-term acute stressor, such as forced swim, was examined in the male and female offspring rats. Our findings showed female offspring rats were more vulnerable to stressful conditions for either pre-gestational stress or acute stress in early adolescence, and had decreased GABA/Cr+PCr and Glu/Cr+PCr in the right hippocampus. Interestingly, in response to forced swim, male offspring rats whose mothers were exposed to pre-gestational stress were more affected by the short-term acute stressor and this was manifested by change of Glu/GABA and Glu/Gln in the right hippocampus. These data indicated that although female offspring rats were more vulnerable to pre-gestational stress from their mothers than males, in response to an additional acute stressor they showed better response. Therefore, both sexually dimorphic manner and combination of stressful procedures should be carefully considered in the study of stress-related psychiatric disorders in early adolescence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, West Huangpu Rd, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China; Department of Pediatrics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shantou University, North Dongxia Rd, Shantou 515041, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Yuejun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Imageology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shantou University, North Dongxia Rd, Shantou 515041, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shantou University, North Dongxia Rd, Shantou 515041, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shantou University, North Dongxia Rd, Shantou 515041, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shantou University, North Dongxia Rd, Shantou 515041, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Yuewa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shantou University, North Dongxia Rd, Shantou 515041, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: 344202589@qq.com.
authors.forename: Jingwen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shantou University, North Dongxia Rd, Shantou 515041, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: f2fckcps@163.com.
authors.forename: Peishan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Joint Lab of Biological Psychiatry, Mental Health Center of Shantou University, Taishan Rd, Shantou 515041, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: huangqj@stumhc.cn.
authors.forename: Qingjun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
keywords: Gamma-aminobutyric acid; Glutamate; Glutamine; Hippocampus; Stress