The ontogenetic pattern of the expression of glucocorticoid receptors and the transcription factor NGFI-A in the hippocampus of male rats after prenatal stress

Abstract

Using the immunohistochemical method, we studied the expression of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) in the hippocampus during the postnatal period of development of male rats that were born to dams that were subjected to immobilization stress from the 15th to 19th day of pregnancy. In addition, we used Western blotting to study changes in the expression of the transcription factor NGFI-A in the hippocampus of prenatally stressed animals. We found that prenatal stress induces a considerable decrease in the number of GR-positive cells in the CA1 area of the hippocampus and dentate gyrus during the 1st week of life, an increase in their number and the number of strongly immunopositive cells during the 2nd week, and a decrease in the number of GR-expressing cells in the 3rd week of life. The expression of NGFI-A in the hip-pocampus of prenatally stressed males increased during the 1st and 2nd weeks of life but did not change during the 3rd week as compared to the control animals. We conclude that the destructive effects of prenatal stress on the developing hippocampus may be determined by alteration of the number of GRs in the early postnatal period, whereas induction of NGFI-A in the hippocampus of prenatally stressed males in the early neonatal period possibly has an adaptive character.