ISSN 1062-3590, Biology Bulletin, 2011, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 87–91. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc., 2011. Original Russian Text © L.K. Trofimova, A.A. Baizhumanov, E.N. Goncharenko, Ya.V. Krushinskaya, N.A. Sokolova, N.Yu. Kudryashova, 2011, published in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Biologicheskaya, 2011, No. 1, pp. 101–106. 87 INTRODUCTION Adverse conditions during prenatal development (unbalanced diet, diseases, mother’s stress) can cause development of disorders from which the conse- quences can persist for a lifetime. Such consequences include diabetes, vascular disorders, cognitive and behavioral disorders, etc. (Barker, 2002; Lau, 2004; Zavadenko, 1998). Some disorders of the postnatal development period after antenatal stress were found to be caused by malfunction of the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal system (HPAS), which is responsible for response to stress. Disruption of its function is considered to be the cause of behavioral and vascular disorders (Welberg, 2001; De Blasio, 2007; Mueller, 2007). The program- ming effect of a large amount of the mother’s gluco- corticoids produced during stress response of the maternal organism is considered to be one of factors causing changes in the HPAS (Van den Bergh, 2005; Meanay, 2007). For the most part, the facts mentioned above con- cern antenatal stress at late phases of pregnancy, when the placenta and fetal tissues are developed enough to be susceptible to hormonal signals of the maternal organism. The influence of postnatal consequences of various stress conditions during early organogenesis on HPAS activity has been poorly investigated. This period is remarkable for some important events in the development of a fetus, particularly, for formation of nervous and vascular systems (Dyban, 1975), and also for its belonging to so-called critical periods of development, when an embryo becomes particularly vulnerable to various adverse effects of the environment (Puchkov, 1993). In our previous works, we found some delayed consequences of different antenatal stress conditions during this period concern- ing physical development and the behavior and vascu- lar system function of rats (Graf, 2006; Graf, 2007; Trofimova, 2008). The purpose of the present study was to investigate if antenatal stress of different etiology during this period could affect the basal glucocorticoid level in mothers and their offspring. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was performed on female albino rats (250–300 g), which were used for the first experimen- tal series; and their offspring of both genders were used for the second series of experiments. In the first series of experiments, female rats (n = 30) were housed together with male rats (2:1). The start of pregnancy was determined by the presence of spermatozoids in the vaginal smear. On the 9th– 10th day of pregnancy, females were divided into con- trol and experimental groups. Experimental groups underwent one of three stress effects; each experimen- tal group was compared with a separate control group. Two hypoxic effects (acute hypobaric hypoxia (AHH) and intermittent normobaric hypoxia (INH)) and “mild” immobilization (IM) were chosen as stress effects. AHH is accompanied by terminal conditions, which let us reveal the potential protective capabilities SHORT COMMUNICATION Changes of Glucocorticoid Level in Plasma and Adrenal Glands of Pregnant Rats and Their Offspring after Antenatal Stress of Different Etiology L. K. Trofimova, A. A. Baizhumanov, E. N. Goncharenko † , Ya. V. Krushinskaya, N. A. Sokolova, and N. Yu. Kudryashova Moscow State University, Biological Faculty, Human and Animal Physiology Department, Leninskie Gory 1/12, Moscow, 119991 Russia e-mail: lidia.trofimova@gmail.com Received March 19, 2010 Abstract—We investigated the glucocorticoid level in plasma and adrenal glands of pregnant rats in the period of early organogenesis. Tests were performed 24 hours after stress of different etiology (acute hypobaric hypoxia, intermittent normobaric hypoxia, and immobilization) and then repeated in the adult offspring. There was a significant decrease in the glucocorticoid level in pregnant rats 24 hours after hypoxic stress. Var- ious changes of the basal glucocorticoid level were found in the offspring after antenatal stress. Changes were mostly found in female offspring. DOI: 10.1134/S1062359011010109