Prenatal Dexamethasone Exposure Increases the Susceptibility to Autoimmunity in Offspring Rats by Epigenetic Programing of Glucocorticoid Receptor

Figure 1

Comparative susceptibility of DEX and saline rats to EAE and AIA. (a) Comparison of clinical scores of EAE at illness peak, analyzed by Mann–Whitney nonparametric test. . (b) Histopathological analysis of DEX rats. Hematoxylin and eosin staining showing an enlargement of the lumbar spinal cord in ill (DEX) rats; nervous tissue with vacuole-like structures containing many infiltrating inflammatory cells encasing vessels. (c) Histopathological analysis of saline rats. The lumbar enlargement of spinal cord from normal (saline) rats (hematoxylin and eosin staining). (d) Comparison of clinical scores of fore limb arthritis between DEX and saline rats at illness peak, analyzed by Mann–Whitney nonparametric test. . (e) Histopathological analysis of DEX rats. Hematoxylin and eosin staining of an affected ankle (400x), showing many infiltrating inflammatory cells in the synovium, with vessel hyperplasia. (f) Histopathological analysis of a normal (saline) ankle.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)