The Effects Of Maternal Psychosocial Stress During Pregnancy On Offspring Heart Health

Maternal health has a substantial effect on offspring well-being and health. A significant contributing factor to maternal health is psychosocial stress. Psychosocial stress results from adverse experiences in everyday life and the inability to cope with them, resulting in anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, it is estimated that ~75% of mothers will suffer a stressful life event the year their infants are born, and upwards of 20% suffer depression. These already high levels of psychosocial stress have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is not known if maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy affects offspring heart health. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy on the heart health of offspring. We hypothesize that maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy will have an adverse effect on offspring heart health. Methods: We used a well-established model of maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy- restraint stress. Pregnant dams were stressed by placing them in a 50 mL conical tube (with air holes) for 2 hours / day on gestational days 10-17. Offspring heart health was assessed via echocardiography (Vevo 3100, MX550D transducer). Results: As early as one week of age (equivalent age of infancy in humans), we observed that offspring born to stressed dams exhibited decreased left ventricular fractional shortening. Further analysis using speckle tracking echocardiography was performed on offspring at 4 (equivalent age of juveniles in humans) and 12 (equivalent age of young adult in humans) weeks of age. Our data indicate that offspring from stressed dams had decreased heart performance (measured as stroke volume), remodeling observed as hypertrophy (measured as left ventricular posterior wall thickness at diastole), and diastolic dysfunction (measured as E’/A’). Conclusion: Our data indicate maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy results in blunted left ventricular contractile and diastolic dysfunction in offspring, as well as displays adverse remodeling (i.e., hypertrophy) during infancy and through young adulthood. These data indicate that maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy is detrimental to offspring heart health.