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Infant Maltreatment Induces Early Alterations in Adrenal Glands and Stress Response in Juvenile Rat Offspring

Ailen Alba Colapietro1,2, Jazmín Grillo Balboa1, Marianela Noemí Ceol Retamal1

  • 1Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias ''Prof. E. De Robertis''. Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Neurochemical Research
|February 28, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Early life stress from the scarcity-adversity model (SAM) alters adrenal gland development and increases stress hormone levels in juvenile rats. These changes suggest long-term impacts on health and stress coping abilities.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Endocrinology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Chronic early-life stress, including infant maltreatment, has profound, lasting effects on health and stress responses.
  • The scarcity-adversity model (SAM) provides a framework to study the impact of early life adversity on physiological development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of the scarcity-adversity model (SAM) on adrenal gland morphology and stress response in juvenile Wistar rats.
  • To assess sex-specific differences in the impact of early life stress on adrenal development and function.

Main Methods:

  • Wistar rats were exposed to the scarcity-adversity model (SAM) from postnatal days 8-12.
  • Adrenal gland morphology, including cortex-to-medulla ratio and specific zone thicknesses, was analyzed in juvenile offspring (PND 21-35).
  • Cell proliferation (BrdU+ cells) and corticosterone levels following stress were measured.

Main Results:

  • SAM exposure reduced the cortex-to-medulla ratio and altered adrenal cortex thickness, with increased undifferentiated zone and reduced zona fasciculata.
  • Reduced cytoplasmic diameter of zona fasciculata cells and increased capillary thickness were observed in SAM offspring.
  • Male SAM pups showed increased cell proliferation in the adrenal cortex, while both sexes exhibited elevated corticosterone levels after stress.

Conclusions:

  • Early-life stress significantly impacts adrenal gland morphology and stress responsiveness in juvenile rats.
  • These morphological and endocrine changes suggest potential long-term consequences for health and stress-coping mechanisms.
  • The findings highlight the vulnerability of the developing adrenal system to early life adversity.

Keywords:
Adrenal histologyCorticosteroneEarly-life stressJuvenile ageScarcity-adversity model

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