Long-lasting effects of prenatal stress on HPA axis and inflammation: A systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis in rodent studies

•We performed a meta-analysis to quantify the effects of PNS on HPA axis and inflammation.•PNS exposure leads to a consistent dysfunction in the HPA axis.•Peripheral CORT as well as central CRH and CRHR2 levels are altered by PNS.•Exposure to PNS produces heterogeneous results on inflammatory marker...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews 2021-08, Vol.127, p.270-283
Main Authors: Creutzberg, Kerstin Camile, Sanson, Alice, Viola, Thiago Wendt, Marchisella, Francesca, Begni, Veronica, Grassi-Oliveira, Rodrigo, Riva, Marco Andrea
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cytokines
HPA
Meta-analysis
Prenatal stress
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:•We performed a meta-analysis to quantify the effects of PNS on HPA axis and inflammation.•PNS exposure leads to a consistent dysfunction in the HPA axis.•Peripheral CORT as well as central CRH and CRHR2 levels are altered by PNS.•Exposure to PNS produces heterogeneous results on inflammatory markers. Exposure to prenatal stress (PNS) can lead to long-lasting neurobiological and behavioral consequences for the offspring, which may enhance the susceptibility for mental disorders. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the immune system are two major factors involved in the stress response. Here, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of rodent studies that investigated the effects of PNS exposure on the HPA axis and inflammatory cytokines in adult offspring. Our analysis shows that animals exposed to PNS display a consistent increase in peripheral corticosterone (CORT) levels and central corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), while decreased levels of its receptor 2 (CRHR2). Meta-regression revealed that sex and duration of PNS protocol are covariates that moderate these results. There was no significant effect of PNS in glucocorticoid receptor (GR), CRH receptor 1 (CRHR1), pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Our findings suggest that PNS exposure elicits long-lasting effects on the HPA axis function, providing an important tool to investigate in preclinical settings key pathological aspects related to early-life stress exposure. Furthermore, researchers should be aware of the mixed outcomes of PNS on inflammatory markers in the adult brain.
ISSN:0149-7634
1873-7528
DOI:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.032