Effects of ACTH applications during pregnancy on the female offsprings' endocrine status and behavior in guinea pigs

The present study was conducted to elucidate the effects of ACTH applicatio n during pregnancy on the female offsprings' endocrine status and behavior in a precocial animal, the guinea pig. We, therefore, studied daughters who se mothers were treated three times with either ACTH-depot or placebo durin g the sensitive phase of central nervous sexual differentiation of the foet us. From their 41st through their 80th day of age the spontaneous behavior of the daughters was recorded in their home cages, and concentrations of se rum cortisol were determined from the 20th through the 90th day of age ever y 14 days. Daughters whose mothers had received ACTH displayed significantl y lower amounts of a defensive aggressive behavior pattern, the urine spray , and they had higher cortisol concentrations than daughters whose mothers had received placebo. Thus, the number of species that shows consequences o f an ACTH treatment during pregnancy for the offsprings' endocrine status a nd behavior is extended to include a precocial animal, the guinea pig. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.