MORPHOFUNCTIONAL CHANGES IN LONG BONES OF 3-DAY-OLD OFFSPRING BORN TO MOTHERS EXPOSED TO EXPERIMENTAL PRENATAL STRESS
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Prenatal stress, immobilization model, long tubular bones, epiphyseal growth plate, osteogenesis, bone mineral density, RANKL/OPG ratio, melatonin.Annotatsiya
Methods: Pregnant Wistar rats were divided into Control (n=20), Prenatal Stress (PS; 2h daily immobilization on gestational days 7–19, n=20), and Stress + Melatonin (PS+Mel; 10 mg/kg p.o., n=20) groups. Long bones (femur and tibia) of 3-day-old neonates were harvested for histological, histomorphometric, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and molecular ELISA evaluations (Osteocalcin, RANKL, OPG, Collagen I).
Results: Long bones of 3-day-old PS offspring exhibited severe architectural disruptions, including significant narrowing of the epiphyseal growth plate (184.2±5.1 µm vs Control 245.8±6.4 µm; p<0.001), structural disorganization of chondrocyte columns, reduced trabecular bone area (21.4±1.2% vs 34.6±1.5%; p<0.001), and decreased bone mineral density (BMD 0.038±0.002 g/cm² vs 0.054±0.003 g/cm²; p<0.001). Molecular analysis demonstrated a suppressed OPG/RANKL ratio and decreased Osteocalcin and Collagen I expression. Melatonin co-administration significantly attenuated these morphofunctional impairments.
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