Virgin, pregnant, and lactating rats were used to assess the influence of selenomethionine and selenocystine, fed at four to seven times the daily Se requirement (supranutritional), on Se load and selenoprotein activities. Female Sprague Dawley rats (n = 48; age = 13 wk), reared on a low-Se torula yeast diet, were assigned to one of three reproductive states (n = 16 per reproductive state) to o...

The pattern of urinary catecholamine excretion in fasting differs in pregnant and nonpregnant rats, which suggests that the sympathoadrenal response to fasting is altered by pregnancy. In fasting nonpregnant animals, urinary norepinephrine (NE) excretion decreases and epinephrine (E) excretion remains unchanged, whereas the excretion of both catecholamines rises significantly with refeeding. In...

In late pregnant rats, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is hyporesponsive to psychogenic stressors. Here, we investigated attenuated HPA responses to an immune challenge and a role for endogenous opioids. ACTH and corticosterone were assayed in blood samples from virgin and 21 d pregnant rats before and after endotoxin [lipopolysaccharide (LPS); 1 microg/kg, i.v.], interleukin-1bet...

INTRODUCTION Both nonclassical and intermediate monocytes have been implicated in different inflammatory conditions. We hypothesized that these monocytes would increase during pregnancy, a condition associated with generalized activation of inflammatory responses and that they would increase even more during preeclampsia, in which inflammatory responses are further stimulated. In the present st...

OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of nitric oxide (NO) donors, diethylamine/nitric oxide (DEA/NO) and nitroglycerin (NTG), on isolated uterine and aortic tissues from non-pregnant, mid and late pregnant rats. METHODS The uterus and thoracic aorta were obtained from non-pregnant (estrous cycle) and pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats on day 14 and day 21. The uterine and aortic rings were incubated in...

Placental ischemia during pregnancy is thought to release cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), which may contribute to the increased vascular resistance associated with pregnancy-induced hypertension. We have reported that a chronic twofold elevation in plasma TNF-alpha increases blood pressure in pregnant but not in virgin rats; however, the vascular mechanisms are unclea...

To study the effect of diabetes on hepatic protein synthesis and polysomal aggregation in pregnant rats, female rats were treated with streptozotocin prior to conception. Some animals were mated, and studied at day 20 of pregnancy, whereas, others were studied in parallel under non pregnant conditions. The protein synthesis rate measured with an "in vitro" cell-free system was higher in pregnan...

During pregnancy, there is a marked plasma volume expansion due to renal sodium retention. Pregnant rats exhibit a blunted response to natriuretic stimuli that signal via cGMP, and expression and activity of the cGMP phosphodiesterase PDE-5 are upregulated in the inner medullary collecting duct during pregnancy. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the natriuretic response to a cAMP agonist, dop...

introduction: there are several evidences that show various environmental stresses during pregnancy, affect physiological behavior of the offspring. in this study the effects of rem (rapid eye movement) sleep deprivation of pregnant rats on spatial learning of adult male offspring by morris water maze were investigated. methods: water tank technique was used for inducing rem sleep deprivation. ...

Salt moderation is often recommended to prevent excessive increases in blood pressure during pregnancy, particularly in women who are prone to pregnancy-induced hypertension; however, the vascular effects of low dietary salt intake during pregnancy are unclear. We investigated whether a low-salt diet during pregnancy alters the mechanisms of vascular smooth muscle contraction. Active stress and...