ABSTRACT
The effect of prenatal hypoxia on the development of the beta-adrenoceptor during the ontogenesis of rats was investigated. It was shown that the offspring from hypoxic dams, in comparison with normoxic control animals, exhibited alterations of the density (Bmax) of the myocardial beta-receptors and of the catecholamine levels in heart tissue during development. The results suggest that the beta-adrenoceptor changes might be involved in the phenomenon of enhanced sensitivity of prenatal hypoxic animals to catecholamines in adult age.
Subject(s)
Fetal Hypoxia/physiopathology , Myocardium/metabolism , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects , Receptors, Adrenergic, beta/metabolism , Animals , Catecholamines/metabolism , Female , Kinetics , Pregnancy , Rats , Rats, WistarABSTRACT
In this study, the effect of prenatal hypoxia on the catecholamine sensitivity of the offspring of pregnant rats was investigated. The offspring from hypoxic animals showed after treatment with isoproterenol in adult age a distinctly more pronounced decrease of protein content and enzyme activities in heart tissue as well as a significantly higher elevation of enzyme activities in blood plasma as compared with the offspring from normoxic rats. These results suggest a long-lasting enhancement of catecholamine sensitivity after prenatal oxygen deficiency.