The effects of prenatal stress on expression of CaMK-II and L-Ca2＋ channel in offspring hippocampus

The purpose of the present study was to characterize the expressions of phosphorylated cae＋/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II （p-CaMK-II）, total CaMK-II, and L-type Ca2＋ channel in offspring hippocampus that was induced by prenatal restraint stress. Pregnant rats were divided into two groups： the control group and the prenatal stress （PNS） group. Pregnant rats in the PNS group were exposed to restraint stress on day 14-20 of pregnancy three times daily for 45 min. Adult offspring rats were used in this study. The results demonstrated that prenatal restraint stress induced a significant increase in the expression of p-CaMK-II, total CaMK-II, and L-Ca2＋ channel by western blot analysis in offspring hippo- campus. The immunohistochemistry results revealed that PNS increased the expressions of CaMK-II and L-Ca2＋ channel in the hippocampal CA3 of offspring rats. These data suggest that PNS can have long-term neuronal effects within hippocampal structure involved in the feedback mechanisms of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis.