Vas deferens response to selective opioid receptor agonists in adult mice is impaired following postnatal repeated mild stress.

Mild stress repeatedly applied to neonatal rodents induces alterations of central nervous system functions, persisting up to the adult age. Most alterations may be mediated through hormones and neuromediators active on the autonomic nervous system, therefore we tested the efficacy of selective opioid receptor agonists on the vas deferens of adult mice that, as neonates, had undergone daily mild stress until weaning (brief isolation and solvent injection). We found in the adult mouse (90 days old) decreased sensitivity of vas deferens to selective mu-, delta- and kappa-opioid receptor agonist drugs. The neonatal administration of an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide adrenocorticotropin-synthesis-inhibitor partly prevented these effects.