Fetal male masculinization in control and prenatally stressed rats. 1989

E D Lephart, and D E Fleming, and R W Rhees
Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235.

The present experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that males in utero masculinize the development of other males. This effect was examined during fetal development in males from control and prenatally stressed rats. A code identified the number of cervical-flanking males between the target male and the cervical end of the uterus. The male parameters morphology (anogenital distance) and body, adrenal, and testis weights were recorded on the eighteenth and twentieth gestational days and categorized by the cervical-flanking male classification. At Day 18, control fetuses with two cervical-flanking males in utero displayed significantly greater anogenital distance values than did males with no cervical-flanking male. At Day 20, control fetuses with two cervical-flanking males had testicular weights significantly greater than those of fetuses with one or zero cervical positioned male. Prenatal stress markedly impaired male fetal development at gestational Days 18 and 20 while suppressing the cervical-flanking male effect. These results confirm and extend previous data that indicate: (a) prenatal stress disrupts normal fetal development, resulting in long-term changes; and (b) androgens via a cervical-flanking blood-flow mechanism influence littermate morphology and sexual development during the prenatal period. Our findings also demonstrate that a general masculinizing effect could not be made across the measured male parameters since the effect of males positioned at the cervical-flanking region in utero appears to be dependent upon maternal sources of variance. Finally, androgens prenatally have an apparent positive interaction with somatic growth.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D009929 Organ Size The measurement of an organ in volume, mass, or heaviness. Organ Volume,Organ Weight,Size, Organ,Weight, Organ
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D011270 Pregnancy, Animal The process of bearing developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero in non-human mammals, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Animal Pregnancies,Animal Pregnancy,Pregnancies, Animal
D011919 Rats, Inbred Strains Genetically identical individuals developed from brother and sister matings which have been carried out for twenty or more generations or by parent x offspring matings carried out with certain restrictions. This also includes animals with a long history of closed colony breeding. August Rats,Inbred Rat Strains,Inbred Strain of Rat,Inbred Strain of Rats,Inbred Strains of Rats,Rat, Inbred Strain,August Rat,Inbred Rat Strain,Inbred Strain Rat,Inbred Strain Rats,Inbred Strains Rat,Inbred Strains Rats,Rat Inbred Strain,Rat Inbred Strains,Rat Strain, Inbred,Rat Strains, Inbred,Rat, August,Rat, Inbred Strains,Rats Inbred Strain,Rats Inbred Strains,Rats, August,Rats, Inbred Strain,Strain Rat, Inbred,Strain Rats, Inbred,Strain, Inbred Rat,Strains, Inbred Rat
D005260 Female Females
D005314 Embryonic and Fetal Development Morphological and physiological development of EMBRYOS or FETUSES. Embryo and Fetal Development,Prenatal Programming,Programming, Prenatal
D000324 Adrenocorticotropic Hormone An anterior pituitary hormone that stimulates the ADRENAL CORTEX and its production of CORTICOSTEROIDS. ACTH is a 39-amino acid polypeptide of which the N-terminal 24-amino acid segment is identical in all species and contains the adrenocorticotrophic activity. Upon further tissue-specific processing, ACTH can yield ALPHA-MSH and corticotrophin-like intermediate lobe peptide (CLIP). ACTH,Adrenocorticotropin,Corticotropin,1-39 ACTH,ACTH (1-39),Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone,Corticotrophin,Corticotrophin (1-39),Corticotropin (1-39),Hormone, Adrenocorticotrophic,Hormone, Adrenocorticotropic
D000704 Analysis of Variance A statistical technique that isolates and assesses the contributions of categorical independent variables to variation in the mean of a continuous dependent variable. ANOVA,Analysis, Variance,Variance Analysis,Analyses, Variance,Variance Analyses
D000728 Androgens Compounds that interact with ANDROGEN RECEPTORS in target tissues to bring about the effects similar to those of TESTOSTERONE. Depending on the target tissues, androgenic effects can be on SEX DIFFERENTIATION; male reproductive organs, SPERMATOGENESIS; secondary male SEX CHARACTERISTICS; LIBIDO; development of muscle mass, strength, and power. Androgen,Androgen Receptor Agonist,Androgen Effect,Androgen Effects,Androgen Receptor Agonists,Androgenic Agents,Androgenic Compounds,Agents, Androgenic,Agonist, Androgen Receptor,Agonists, Androgen Receptor,Compounds, Androgenic,Effect, Androgen,Effects, Androgen,Receptor Agonist, Androgen,Receptor Agonists, Androgen

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