Experimental and husbandry procedures as potential modifiers of the results of phenotyping tests.

To maximize the sensitivity of detecting affects of genetic variants in mice, variables have been minimized through the use of inbred mouse lines, by eliminating infectious organisms and controlling environmental variables. However, the impact of standard animal husbandry and experimental procedures on the validity of experimental data is under appreciated. In this study we monitored the impact of these procedures by using parameters that reflect stress and physiological responses to it.

Role of oxidative stress and antioxidant supplementation in pregnancy disorders.

Oxidative stress is widely implicated in failed reproductive performance, including infertility, miscarriage, diabetes-related congenital malformations, and preeclampsia. Maternal obesity is a strong risk factor for preeclampsia, and in a recent study we observed oxidative stress in the oocytes of obese animals before pregnancy as well as in early-stage embryos. This adds to the growing evidence that investigators need to focus more on the preconceptual period in efforts to prevent pregnancy disorders, including those related to oxidative stress.

Maternal diet-induced obesity alters mitochondrial activity and redox status in mouse oocytes and zygotes.

The negative impact of obesity on reproductive success is well documented but the stages at which development of the conceptus is compromised and the mechanisms responsible for the developmental failure still remain unclear. Recent findings suggest that mitochondria may be a contributing factor. However to date no studies have directly addressed the consequences of maternal obesity on mitochondria in early embryogenesis.

Evidence for sympathetic origins of hypertension in juvenile offspring of obese rats.

Maternal obesity in rodents is associated with increased adiposity, impaired glucose tolerance, and hypertension in adult offspring. In this study we investigated the influence of maternal obesity in the rat on blood pressure and blood pressure regulatory pathways in juvenile and adult offspring. Obesity was induced before pregnancy in female Sprague-Dawley rats by feeding a highly palatable energy-dense diet.

Prenatal stress in the rat results in increased blood pressure responsiveness to stress and enhanced arterial reactivity to neuropeptide Y in adulthood.

We have shown previously that stress in the pregnant rat leads to a heightened cardiovascular response to restraint in adult offspring. The present study was undertaken to explore further the persistent cardiovascular effects of prenatal stress, with a focus on peripheral vascular function. Sprague-Dawley female rats were exposed to restraint/bright light three times daily in the last week of pregnancy.

Isatin: role in stress and anxiety.

(Indoledione 2,3) isatin is an endogenous indole found both in mammalian brain and peripheral tissues. Isatin concentration in blood can exceed 1 microM and tissue concentrations vary from < 0.1 to 10 microM.

Cardiovascular and endocrine responses to cutaneous electrical stimulation after fentanyl in the ovine fetus.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether physical stimulation is stressful to the ovine fetus, as judged from physiologic changes that are similar to those reported for other stressors (such as hypoxia); whether any stress response could be blocked by clinically used doses of fentanyl; and whether fentanyl alone had any potentially deleterious physiologic effects in the fetus.

Study Design: We investigated the effect of fentanyl analgesia on the cardiovascular and endocrine response to cutaneous electrical stimulation in the late gestation (>125 days) ovine fetus (n=7 fetuses). Chronically implanted catheters and blood flow probes were used to measure fetal arterial blood pressure, heart rate, carotid and femoral blood flow, pH, Po(2), Pco(2), lactate, cortisol, and beta-endorphin levels before, during, and for 1 hour after 5 minutes of cutaneous electrical stimulation to the lip, forelimb, and abdomen, in a crossover design.

Effect of acute stress and gender on isatin in rat tissues and serum.

Isatin is an endogenous indole present in mammalian tissues and fluids. This study was designed to test the effect of both acute stress (AS) and gender on isatin's levels in rat serum, heart and brain, using a HPLC-UV detection method. Basal brain isatin levels were higher in females than in males.