Impacts of prenatal resiquimod exposure during late gestation on rat offspring development and behavior
Abstract
Maternal stress during pregnancy affects offspring development and health. Data from the project show that maternal immune stress induced by resiquimod during late gestation in rats attenuated maternal weight gain and delayed female pubertal onset, increased anxiety-like behavior after puberty, and lessened weight gain over time in offspring. These results highlight puberty as critical for exposing the effects of prenatal stress and underscore the importance of tracking outcomes across development.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Stress Responses and Cortisol
Tryptophan and brain disorders
Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Publication details
- Journal / source
- American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology
- Publisher
- American Physiological Society
- Volume
- 330
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- R310–R316
- Publication date
- 18 February 2026
- Language
- EN