Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in adults who were prenatally exposed to the Dutch famine
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in adults who were prenatally exposed to the Dutch famine
OBJECTIVE: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been proposed to be susceptible to fetal programming, the process by which an adverse fetal environment elicits permanent physiological and metabolic alterations predisposing to disease in later life. It is hypothesized that fetal exposure to poor circumstances alters the set point of the HPA axis, leading to increased HPA axis activity and subsequent increased cortisol concentrations. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to famine during different periods of gestation is associated with increased activity of the HPA axis.
DESIGN AND METHODS: We assessed plasma cortisol concentrations after a dexamethasone suppression and an ACTH1-24 -stimulation test in a group of 98 men and women randomly sampled from the Dutch famine birth cohort. Cohort members were born as term singletons around the 1944-1945 Dutch famine.
RESULTS: Cortisol profiles after dexamethasone suppression and ACTH1-24 stimulation were similar for participants exposed to famine during late, mid- or early gestation (P = 0.78). Cortisol concentrations after dexamethasone suppression test did not differ between those exposed and those unexposed to famine in utero (mean difference -2% (95% confidence interval (CI) -27 to 23)). Neither peak cortisol concentration (20 nmol/l (95% CI -27 to 66)), cortisol increment (-5 nmol/l (95% CI -56 to 47)) or cortisol area under the curve post-ACTH1-24 injection (4% (95% CI -4 to 12)) differed between exposed and unexposed participants.
CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal famine exposure does not seem to affect HPA axis activity at adult age, at least not at the adrenal level. This does not exclude altered HPA axis activity at the levels of the hippocampus and hypothalamus.
birth, methods, programming, fetal, men, in-utero, environment, plasma, dexamethasone, later life, fetal programming, cardiovascular disease, hypothesis, exposure, cohort, cortisol, disease, activity, women, adult
153-160
De Rooij, Susanne R.
d81597b8-478e-406a-b48b-b6700e52b467
Painter, Rebecca C.
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Phillips, David I.
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Osmond, Clive
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Michels, Robert P.
673e5ed8-ce75-45f8-b2c9-8bde1b57fe83
Bossuyt, Patrick M.
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Bleker, Otto P.
047c2fa6-5b66-4c7b-98a9-51ed4a1e3b08
Roseboom, Tessa J.
ca016399-99d7-4918-9572-e3d37d20f1b6
2006
De Rooij, Susanne R.
d81597b8-478e-406a-b48b-b6700e52b467
Painter, Rebecca C.
9c48514b-b4e8-438a-940c-bbfc7e11a1ac
Phillips, David I.
29b73be7-2ff9-4fff-ae42-d59842df4cc6
Osmond, Clive
2677bf85-494f-4a78-adf8-580e1b8acb81
Michels, Robert P.
673e5ed8-ce75-45f8-b2c9-8bde1b57fe83
Bossuyt, Patrick M.
8a2ec9f4-db0d-40e7-9592-363cf379bd4c
Bleker, Otto P.
047c2fa6-5b66-4c7b-98a9-51ed4a1e3b08
Roseboom, Tessa J.
ca016399-99d7-4918-9572-e3d37d20f1b6
De Rooij, Susanne R., Painter, Rebecca C., Phillips, David I., Osmond, Clive, Michels, Robert P., Bossuyt, Patrick M., Bleker, Otto P. and Roseboom, Tessa J.
(2006)
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in adults who were prenatally exposed to the Dutch famine.
European journal of endocrinology, 155 (1), .
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been proposed to be susceptible to fetal programming, the process by which an adverse fetal environment elicits permanent physiological and metabolic alterations predisposing to disease in later life. It is hypothesized that fetal exposure to poor circumstances alters the set point of the HPA axis, leading to increased HPA axis activity and subsequent increased cortisol concentrations. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to famine during different periods of gestation is associated with increased activity of the HPA axis.
DESIGN AND METHODS: We assessed plasma cortisol concentrations after a dexamethasone suppression and an ACTH1-24 -stimulation test in a group of 98 men and women randomly sampled from the Dutch famine birth cohort. Cohort members were born as term singletons around the 1944-1945 Dutch famine.
RESULTS: Cortisol profiles after dexamethasone suppression and ACTH1-24 stimulation were similar for participants exposed to famine during late, mid- or early gestation (P = 0.78). Cortisol concentrations after dexamethasone suppression test did not differ between those exposed and those unexposed to famine in utero (mean difference -2% (95% confidence interval (CI) -27 to 23)). Neither peak cortisol concentration (20 nmol/l (95% CI -27 to 66)), cortisol increment (-5 nmol/l (95% CI -56 to 47)) or cortisol area under the curve post-ACTH1-24 injection (4% (95% CI -4 to 12)) differed between exposed and unexposed participants.
CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal famine exposure does not seem to affect HPA axis activity at adult age, at least not at the adrenal level. This does not exclude altered HPA axis activity at the levels of the hippocampus and hypothalamus.
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Published date: 2006
Keywords:
birth, methods, programming, fetal, men, in-utero, environment, plasma, dexamethasone, later life, fetal programming, cardiovascular disease, hypothesis, exposure, cohort, cortisol, disease, activity, women, adult
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Local EPrints ID: 61049
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/61049
ISSN: 0804-4643
PURE UUID: 1bdde3fe-b37b-47a1-b697-15105e870a2e
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Date deposited: 12 Sep 2008
Last modified: 23 Jul 2022 01:39
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Author:
Susanne R. De Rooij
Author:
Rebecca C. Painter
Author:
David I. Phillips
Author:
Robert P. Michels
Author:
Patrick M. Bossuyt
Author:
Otto P. Bleker
Author:
Tessa J. Roseboom
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