Disruptions in the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis in rat offspring following prenatal maternal exposure to lipopolysaccharide

AbstractPostnatal treatment with bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) changes the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) surge in rats. Exposure to an immune challenge in the critical periods of development has profound and long-lasting effects on the stress response, immune, metabolic, and reproductive functions. Prenatal LPS treatment delays the migration of GnRH neurons associated with increased cytokine release in maternal and fetal compartments. We investigated the effects of a single maternal exposure to LPS (18 μg/kg, i.p.) on day 12 (embryonic day (E)12) of pregnancy on reproductive parameters in rat offspring. Hypothalamic GnRH content, plasma luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, and estradiol concentrations were measured in both male and female offsprings at different stages of postnatal development by RIA and ELISA (n = 10 each per group). Body weight and in females day of vaginal opening (VO) were recorded. In offsprin...