Table III.
Depiction of concentrations of estradiol, progesterone, DHP, and 3α,5α-THP in the mPFC and the diencephalon of juvenile rats (28–30 days of age) exposed to minimal daily handling (control) or thrice daily episodes of 45-min restraint (restraint) on gestational days 17–21.
| Offspring mPFC steroid concentrations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | |||
| Control (n = 14) |
Restraint (n = 13) |
Control (n = 14) |
Restraint (n = 14) |
|
| Estradiol (pg/g ± SEM) | 0.05 ± 0.01 | 0.07 ± 0.01 | 0.13 ± 0.02* | 0.12 ± 0.01* |
| Progesterone (ng/g ± SEM) | 0.6 ± 0.1 | 0.5 ± 0.1 | 0.6 ± 0.1 | 0.7 ± 0.1 |
| DHP† (ng/g ± SEM) | 1.1 ± 0.2 | 0.2 ± 0.1 | 0.8 ± 0.1 | 0.5 ± 0.1 |
| 3α,5α-THP (ng/g ± SEM) | 1.7 ± 0.9 | 0.7 ± 0.2 | 1.6 ± 0.8 | 0.3 ± 0.2 |
| Offspring diencephalon steroid concentrations | ||||
| Estradiol (pg/g ± SEM) | 0.022 ± 0.003 | 0.024 ± 0.002 | 0.042 ± 0.006* | 0.044 ± 0.006* |
| Progesterone (ng/g ± SEM) | 0.24 ± 0.02 | 0.28 ± 0.03 | 0.25 ± 0.02 | 0.28 ± 0.03 |
| DHP (ng/g ± SEM) | 0.6 ± 0.1 | 0.6 ± 0.1 | 0.5 ± 0.1 | 0.5 ± 0.1 |
| 3α,5α-THP (ng/g ± SEM) | 0.4 ± 0.1 | 0.4 ± 0.1 | 0.4 ± 0.1 | 0.7 ± 0.3 |
| P utilization (DHP + 3α,5α-THP/P ± SEM) | 2.5 ± 0.6 | 2.1 ± 0.7 | 1.9 ± 0.5 | 2.2 ± 0.8 |
Note: Progesterone utilization (DHP + 3α,5α-THP/P ± SEM) is also presented in the diencephalon.
*
indicates significant main effect for males and females to differ;
†
indicates significant interaction wherein for male offspring have greater cortical concentrations of DHP compared to female offspring and a greater decline in DHP with exposure to gestational stress, p < 0.05.