动物的生理健康与其正常下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺(hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical, HPA)轴活性是密不可分的。母体妊娠期应激对后代出生前后HPA轴功能及生长发育等均有显著的程序化影响，尤其是对胎儿期HPA轴的影响更大。这种影响主要是通过改变后代上游海马体、下丘脑和垂体中的糖皮质激素受体和盐皮质激素受体表达实现的。下游器官肾上腺皮质作为HPA轴的重要组成部分，也可能是HPA轴程序化的靶器官，有待深入研究。

Normal hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis activity is essential for animal physical health. Maternal stress during pregnancy programs HPA axis function, as well as the growth and development of offspring before and after birth. Fetal HPA axis is the most susceptible system responding to maternal stress. These impacts are achieved by alterations in glucocorticoid receptor and mineralocorticoid receptor expressions in hippocampus, hypothalamus and pituitary of the offspring. Adrenal cortex as an important component of HPA axis may also be a target of maternal programming, which awaits further investigation.［Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition, 2010，22（5）:1138-1141］