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Effects of prenatal dexamethasone or terbutaline exposure on development of neural and intrinsic control of heart rate.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Hou, QC; Slotkin, TA
Published in: Pediatr Res
December 1989

This study compares the effects of prenatal exposure to terbutaline (a beta-adrenergic agonist) and dexamethasone (a glucocorticoid) on the development of heart rate control mechanisms in the rat. Both drugs produced a persistent reduction in resting heart rate appearing during the 2nd postnatal wk, but by different mechanisms. Terbutaline affected the development of autonomic input from the CNS, characterized by a premature shift from sympathetic to parasympathetic dominance; thus, heart rate differences between terbutaline-exposed animals and controls resolved with acute treatment with a ganglionic blocking agent (chlorisondamine). Dexamethasone did not alter neural input to the myocardium (its actions were not reversed by ganglionic blockade), but instead reduced the intrinsic heart rate; the prenatal glucocorticoid treatment also reduced the sensitivity of the myocardium to beta-adrenergic stimulation, a factor that could contribute to the alterations in intrinsic rate. These results suggest the potential need for studies of the functional cardiovascular consequences of fetal or neonatal therapeutic interventions with glucocorticoids or adrenergic agents.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Pediatr Res

DOI

ISSN

0031-3998

Publication Date

December 1989

Volume

26

Issue

6

Start / End Page

554 / 557

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Terbutaline
  • Rats, Inbred Strains
  • Rats
  • Pregnancy
  • Pediatrics
  • Maternal-Fetal Exchange
  • Heart Rate
  • Heart Conduction System
  • Fetus
  • Female
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Hou, Q. C., & Slotkin, T. A. (1989). Effects of prenatal dexamethasone or terbutaline exposure on development of neural and intrinsic control of heart rate. Pediatr Res, 26(6), 554–557. https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198912000-00005
Hou, Q. C., and T. A. Slotkin. “Effects of prenatal dexamethasone or terbutaline exposure on development of neural and intrinsic control of heart rate.Pediatr Res 26, no. 6 (December 1989): 554–57. https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198912000-00005.
Hou, Q. C., and T. A. Slotkin. “Effects of prenatal dexamethasone or terbutaline exposure on development of neural and intrinsic control of heart rate.Pediatr Res, vol. 26, no. 6, Dec. 1989, pp. 554–57. Pubmed, doi:10.1203/00006450-198912000-00005.

Published In

Pediatr Res

DOI

ISSN

0031-3998

Publication Date

December 1989

Volume

26

Issue

6

Start / End Page

554 / 557

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Terbutaline
  • Rats, Inbred Strains
  • Rats
  • Pregnancy
  • Pediatrics
  • Maternal-Fetal Exchange
  • Heart Rate
  • Heart Conduction System
  • Fetus
  • Female