Recent studies suggest that environmental factors that influence placental development can lead to a combination of low birth weight and large placenta, which seems to be a predictor of adult hypertension. Furthermore, excessive fetal exposure to glucocorticoids in the presence of decreased 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-HSD) type 2 activity reduces birth weight and produces hypertensive and hyperglycemic adult offspring. Since maternal glucocorticoids are increased by alcohol consumption, and low birthweight is a common adverse consequence of fetal alcohol exposure, this raises the question whether offspring exposed to alcohol prenatally have an increased prevalence of hypertension and hyperglycemia as adults compared to the general population. A rat model of fetal alcohol exposure (FAE) will be used to determine: l) whether FAE offspring show hypertension, stress, and behavioral hyperactivity, similar to the human condition, and whether this effect is gender specific; 2) whether corticosterone (CORT) administration to adrenalectomized dams during a critical period of gestation mimics the effects of ethanol by inducing hypertension, altered stress reactivity, and behavioral hyperactivity in FAE offspring; 3) whether inhibiting the maternal CORT response to ethanol in the intact pregnant rat will attenuate the hypertension, stress and behavioral hyperactivity of the FAE offspring; and 4) whether maternal dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) contributes to or protects from the long term consequences, hypertension and stress and behavioral activity of prenatal alcohol exposure. These studies may indicate whether adults exposed to alcohol in utero are at increased risk for hypertension and a possible mechanism of action.
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| Redei, E; Halasz, I; Li, L F et al. (1993) Maternal adrenalectomy alters the immune and endocrine functions of fetal alcohol-exposed male offspring. Endocrinology 133:452-60 |
| Redei, E (1992) Immuno-reactive and bioactive corticotropin-releasing factor in rat thymus. Neuroendocrinology 55:115-8 |
