Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Prenatal glucocorticoids and long-term programming.

Jonathan R Seckl1

  • 1Endocrinology Unit, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK. J.Seckl@ed.ac.uk

European Journal of Endocrinology
|November 24, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Ten Year Outcome of Anti-Thyroid Drug Treatment for First Episode Graves' Thyrotoxicosis: The Predictive Importance of TRAb.

Clinical endocrinology·2025
Same author

Low plasma glucose results in non-diabetic adults referred from primary care are not associated with morbidity, mortality, or underlying endogenous hypoglycemic disorders.

Endocrine·2023
Same author

11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 deficiency prevents PTSD-like memory in young adult mice.

Psychoneuroendocrinology·2022
Same author

Cohort profile for the STratifying Resilience and Depression Longitudinally (STRADL) study: A depression-focused investigation of Generation Scotland, using detailed clinical, cognitive, and neuroimaging assessments.

Wellcome open research·2022
Same author

Hair glucocorticoids are associated with childhood adversity, depressive symptoms and reduced global and lobar grey matter in Generation Scotland.

Translational psychiatry·2021
Same author

Face coverings and respiratory tract droplet dispersion.

Royal Society open science·2021
Same journal

Psychosocial retrospective follow-up of young adults with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

European journal of endocrinology·2026
Same journal

Correction to: Steroidogenic factor-1 regulates a core set of target genes to promote malignancy in adrenocortical carcinoma.

European journal of endocrinology·2026
Same journal

Improving post-thyroidectomy care using a PTH and calcium-based algorithm.

European journal of endocrinology·2026
Same journal

Sampling variability and concordance between sequential and simultaneous adrenal venous sampling in primary aldosteronism subtype diagnosis.

European journal of endocrinology·2026
Same journal

Independent Clonal Evolution in Primary Pigmented Nodular Adrenocortical Disease: A Single-Patient Multi-Omics Study.

European journal of endocrinology·2026
Same journal

Twenty years of neurosurgical experience with Cushing's disease: surgical-strategies, endocrine outcomes and remission predictors in 346 patients.

European journal of endocrinology·2026
See all related articles

Prenatal exposure to excess glucocorticoids or stress in rats programs adult-onset cardiovascular, metabolic, and neuroendocrine disorders. This prenatal programming is linked to low birth weight and altered glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene expression.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Low birth weight is linked to adult cardiovascular, metabolic, and neuroendocrine disorders.
  • Glucocorticoids administered during pregnancy reduce birth weight and affect organ maturation.
  • Prenatal glucocorticoid or stress exposure may link fetal growth to adult pathophysiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if prenatal exposure to excess glucocorticoids or stress programs adult pathophysiology.
  • To explore the role of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11beta-HSD2) in this process.

Main Methods:

  • Administered dexamethasone or carbenoxolone to pregnant rats to reduce fetal weight.
  • Assessed adult offspring for hypertension, hyperglycemia, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, and anxiety-like behavior.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Correlated placental 11beta-HSD2 activity with fetal weight.
  • Examined glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene expression in adult offspring.

    • Main Results:

    • Prenatal dexamethasone or carbenoxolone exposure resulted in low birth weight offspring.
    • Adult offspring exhibited hypertension, hyperglycemia, increased HPA axis activity, and anxiety-like behaviors.
    • Placental 11beta-HSD2 activity positively correlated with fetal weight.
    • Low birth weight in humans is associated with higher adult cortisol levels and HPA axis programming.
    • Evidence suggests permanent changes in GR gene expression contribute to programming.

    Conclusions:

    • Prenatal exposure to excess glucocorticoids, either pharmacologically or physiologically, programs adult cardiovascular, metabolic, and neuroendocrine disorders.
    • The placental enzyme 11beta-HSD2 plays a crucial role in protecting the fetus from maternal glucocorticoids.
    • Altered glucocorticoid receptor (GR) programming is a potential molecular mechanism underlying these long-term effects.