BACKGROUND Numerous rodent studies have evaluated the effects of maternal stress (MS) on later in life susceptibility to Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) intermediate phenotypes with varying results. The aim of this study was to quantitatively synthesize the available data on the effects of MS on offspring obesity, estimated indirectly by body mass (BM), body fat (BF) and plasma leptin; systolic blood pressure (SBP); plasma glucose (and insulin) and blood lipid concentrations. METHODS Literature was screened and summary estimates of the effect of MS outcomes were calculated by using random-effects models. Data on the effects of exogenous corticosteroid administration (or inhibition of 11β-HSD2) during pregnancy in rodents was analysed separately to characterize the direct phenotypic effects of prenatal corticosteroid excess (PCE). RESULTS We conducted 14 separate meta-analyses and synthesized relevant data on outcomes scarcely reported in literature. Both MS and PCE were associated with low birth weight without rapid catch-up growth resulting in decreased body mass later in life. Our analysis also revealed significant and contradictory effects on offspring adiposity. Little evidence was found for effects on glucose metabolism and blood lipids. We identified increased SBP in offspring exposed to PCE; however, there is not enough data to draw any conclusion about effects of MS on SBP. CONCLUSIONS Neonatal weight proved to be decreased in offspring prenatally exposed to stress or corticosteroids, but laboratory rodents in the absence of a challenging environment did not show catch-up growth. The available evidence is inconclusive regarding the effect on adiposity revealing clear methodological and knowledge gaps. This meta-analysis also confirmed a significant positive association between PCE and SBP. Nevertheless, additional studies should address the association with MS.

中文翻译：

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产前压力和后来的代谢后果：啮齿动物的系统评价和荟萃分析

背景 许多啮齿动物研究评估了母体压力 (MS) 对晚年代谢综合征 (MetS) 中间表型易感性的影响，结果各不相同。本研究的目的是定量综合有关 MS 对后代肥胖影响的可用数据，通过体重 (BM)、体脂 (BF) 和血浆瘦素间接估计；收缩压 (SBP); 血浆葡萄糖（和胰岛素）和血脂浓度。方法 筛选文献并使用随机效应模型计算 MS 结果效应的汇总估计值。分别分析了啮齿动物妊娠期间外源性皮质类固醇给药（或抑制 11β-HSD2）的影响数据，以表征产前皮质类固醇过量 (PCE) 的直接表型影响。结果 我们进行了 14 项单独的荟萃分析，并综合了文献中很少报道的结局的相关数据。MS 和 PCE 都与低出生体重有关，但没有快速追赶性生长，导致以后的体重下降。我们的分析还揭示了对后代肥胖的显着且相互矛盾的影响。几乎没有发现对葡萄糖代谢和血脂影响的证据。我们发现暴露于 PCE 的后代 SBP 增加；然而，没有足够的数据得出关于 MS 对 SBP 影响的任何结论。结论 证明出生前暴露于压力或皮质类固醇的后代的新生儿体重降低，但实验室啮齿动物在没有挑战性环境的情况下没有表现出追赶性增长。关于对肥胖的影响，现有证据尚无定论，揭示了明显的方法和知识差距。该荟萃分析还证实了 PCE 和 SBP 之间的显着正相关。然而，更多的研究应该解决与 MS 的关联。