Aims: 

Prenatal hypoxia is considered to be one of the main pathologies of pregnancy. It is not only one of the main reasons of different diseases of newborns and prepuberty, but can also disturb reproduction. The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that acute prenatal hypoxic stress influences the second generation of white rat pups.

Methods: 

Female rats survived acute prenatal hypoxia in early organogenesis. We investigated their descendants' survival, development and behaviour. On the 22^nd, 36^th and 57^th days of life pups were tested in the hole board. Each animal was placed in the field and its behavioural characteristics were visually registered during following 4 minutes.

Results: 

The pups of prenatally stressed dams were born immature, and males remained behind in physical development up to the 57^th day of life. By the 57^th day of life a 20% mortality enhance was observed in experimental group compared to control. We observed that on the 22^nd day of life the pups of prenatally stressed dams showed decreased horizontal motor activity and rearing, and on the 57^th day of life only male pups showed increased horizontal motor activity and rearing.

Conclusion: 

According to our results, acute prenatal hypoxic stress keeps it influence by at least the second generation of white rats and disturbs survival, development and behaviour.