Fig. 4.

Metyrapone (MET) treatment abrogated maternal stress-induced effects on offspring susceptibility to allergy. Dose-response analysis in nonpregnant mice identifies efficacy of 100–200 mg/kg of MET blockade of stress-induced CORT increases (A). The 100 mg/kg MET dose also abrogated a rise in maternal CORT levels in blood after restraint stress (B, *P < 0.05) and was used in all further experiments; n ≥ 3/group. Total cells counts (C) and eosinophil counts (D) were decreased significantly in the offspring of stressed mothers after maternal MET pretreatment and were indistinguishable from negative controls (*P < 0.05). Similarly, neonatal airway responsiveness to methacholine was ameliorated significantly by maternal MET blockade after stress (n ≥ 6/group, *P < 0.05, E).