Abnormal development of blood pressure and growth in rats exposed to perinatal injection stress

Subcutaneous injections of alkaline saline were made perinatally in Sprague-Dawley rats according to two schedules. In a pre-/postnatal group, dams were treated from 19th gestational day to 9th day postpartum and pups from day 0-9. In a postnatal group, pups alone were injected from day 0-6. At 19-23, 50-56 and 82-86 days of age, injected rats and uninjected controls were anesthetized and arterial blood pressure measured. Rats from the pre-/postnatal group had higher blood pressures (58%) and body weights at 19-23 days and lower blood pressure (35%) and body weight at 82-86 days of age. Blood pressure and body weight were comparable to control at all ages in the postnatal injection group. It is concluded that as a result of the maternal stress produced by the injections there was a generalized disturbance of growth processes resulting in hypotension and decreased body weight in adulthood.