Impact of antenatal steroid treatment on steroidogenic function and apoptotic remodeling in the suprarenal cortex of neonatal rats

Background : Antenatal corticosteroids are frequently administered during pregnancy for fetal lung maturation and the management of maternal inflammatory or autoimmune diseases and may influence neonatal suprarenal development. Objective : To evaluate the effects of prenatal dexamethasone and hydrocortisone on suprarenal cortical structure and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) expression at postnatal days 1 and 15. Methods : Sixty pregnant rats were allocated based on gestational timing (early or late), treatment (control, dexamethasone 1 mg/kg, hydrocortisone 10 mg/kg), and postnatal age, forming 12 experimental subgroups. Neonatal suprarenal glands were examined for histological changes using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, StAR immunohistochemistry, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Results : Dexamethasone significantly reduced StAR expression compared with the control (0.2193 ± 0.0336 vs. 0.7662 ± 0.0692, p < 0.001), with a more pronounced effect following late gestational exposure. Apoptosis was markedly increased in the treated groups. Conclusion : Antenatal glucocorticoid treatment induces suprarenal alterations that are both time- and drug-dependent, with marked effects observed in dexamethasone-treated groups.