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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Instrumentation of Near-term Fetal Sheep for Multivariate Chronic Non-anesthetized Recordings

Instrumentation of Near-term Fetal Sheep for Multivariate Chronic Non-anesthetized Recordings

Published on: October 25, 2015

Elevated cortisol concentration in preterm sheep fetuses impacts heart development.

Reza Amanollahi¹, Stacey L Holman¹, Melanie R Bertossa¹

¹Early Origins of Adult Health Research Group, Health and Biomedical Innovation; UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

Experimental Physiology

|April 29, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Elevated fetal cortisol alters heart development and metabolism in sheep fetuses. This may increase cardiovascular disease risk later in life.

Keywords:

cardiovascular diseases cortisol heart development mid‐late gestation preterm fetus

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Area of Science:

Reproductive biology
Developmental biology
Endocrinology

Background:

The prepartum rise in cortisol is crucial for fetal cardiac development and maturation.
Understanding the effects of elevated cortisol during gestation is vital for fetal well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of elevated circulating cortisol during mid-late gestation on fetal sheep cardiac growth and metabolism.
To analyze changes in gene and protein expression in fetal heart tissue following cortisol infusion.

Main Methods:

Cortisol or saline was infused into fetal sheep jugular veins from 109 to 116 days gestation.
Fetal heart tissue was collected at 116 days gestation for analysis.
Glucocorticoid concentrations, gene, and protein expression were measured in fetal left ventricle (LV) tissue.

Main Results:

Cortisol infusion increased cardiac cortisol concentration but downregulated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) isoforms.
Markers of cardiac hyperplastic growth were downregulated, while DNA replication markers were upregulated.
Expression of electron transport chain components, glucose transporter GLUT-4, and phosphorylated IRS-1 were upregulated.
Gene expression of PDK4 and markers of cardiovascular protection (SIRT-1, HO1, LAMP1, SK1) were downregulated.

Conclusions:

Chronic cortisol exposure in preterm fetuses alters heart development, promoting maturation.
These alterations may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood if changes persist.