Long-Term Effects of Prenatal Severe Hypoxia on Central and Peripheral Components of the Glucocorticoid System in Rats.

Introduction: Prenatal hypoxia is a risk factor for the development of numerous neurological disorders. It is known that the maternal stress response to hypoxia determines the epigenetic impairment of the perinatal expression of glucocorticoid receptors (GR) in the hippocampus of the progeny, but so far no detailed study of how this affects the functional state of the glucocorticoid system during further ontogenesis has been performed.

Objective: The goal of the present study was to examine the long-term effects of the prenatal hypoxia on the functioning of the glucocorticoid system throughout life.