Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38109257›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of endocrinology2024

Prenatal cortisol exposure impairs adrenal function but not glucose metabolism in adult sheep.

K L Davies, J Miles, E J Camm, D J Smith, P Barker, K Taylor, A J Forhead, A L Fowden

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of endocrinology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

K L DaviesDepartment of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK.
J MilesDepartment of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK.
E J CammDepartment of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK.
D J SmithDepartment of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK.
P BarkerMRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Mouse Biochemistry Laboratory, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
K TaylorEndocrine Laboratory, Blood Sciences, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge, UK.
A J ForheadDepartment of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK.
A L FowdenDepartment of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3384-4467
University of Cambridge · GBCambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · GBOxford Brookes University · GB

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/P019048/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Adverse environmental conditions before birth are known to programme adult metabolic and endocrine phenotypes in several species. However, whether increments in fetal cortisol concentrations of the magnitude commonly seen in these conditions can cause developmental programming remains unknown. Thus, this study investigated the outcome of physiological increases in fetal cortisol concentrations on glucose-insulin dynamics and pituitary-adrenal function in adult sheep. Compared with saline treatment, intravenous fetal cortisol infusion for 5 days in late gestation did not affect birthweight but increased lamb body weight at 1-2 weeks after birth. Adult glucose dynamics, insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion were unaffected by prenatal cortisol overexposure, assessed by glucose tolerance tests, hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamps and acute insulin administration. In contrast, prenatal cortisol infusion induced adrenal hypo-responsiveness in adulthood with significantly reduced cortisol responses to insulin-induced hypoglycaemia and exogenous adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) administration relative to saline treatment. The area of adrenal cortex expressed as a percentage of the total cross-sectional area of the adult adrenal gland was also lower after prenatal cortisol than saline infusion. In adulthood, basal circulating ACTH but not cortisol concentrations were significantly higher in the cortisol than saline-treated group. The results show that cortisol overexposure before birth programmes pituitary-adrenal development with consequences for adult stress responses. Physiological variations in cortisol concentrations before birth may, therefore, have an important role in determining adult phenotypical diversity and adaptability to environmental challenges.

Indexed as

Adrenocorticotropic HormoneHydrocortisoneAdrenal GlandsAnimalsFemaleFetusGestational AgeGlucoseInsulinPregnancySheepAdrenocorticotropic HormoneGlucoseHydrocortisoneInsulincortisoldevelopmental programmingglucose–insulin dynamicspituitary–adrenal function

Identifiers

PMID38109257
PMCPMC10895281
OpenAlexW4389925812

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.