RESPONSE OF HYPOTHALAMO-PITUITARY-ADRENAL AXIS AND IMMUNE SYSTEM TO CHRONIC RESTRAINT STRESS IN MALE SPRAGUE DAWLEY RATS

Authors

  • Sadia Moazzam Department of Physiology, Islamabad Medical and Dental College, Islamabad
  • M. Mazhar Hussain Army Medical College/National University of Science and Technology, Rawalpindi
  • Aysha Babar Yusra Medical College, Islamabad

Keywords:

Stress, cortisol, immune status, Immunoglobulins, lymphocyte count, Sprague Dawley rats

Abstract

Background: During stress, hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA) is activated as an adaptive ‘fight or flight’ response in order to maintain homeostasis of body function and alter immune response. Method: This study was conducted at National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad. Sixty healthy male Sprague Dawley rats (age=65±5 days; weight=250±50 gm) were obtained from NIH. Rats were divided into two groups, each having 30 rats. The rats of  group I were  not exposed to chronic  restraint stress, while  rats  of group II  were exposed to chronic restraint stress in mesh-wire restrainer for 6 hours daily for 15 days. The total leukocyte (TLC) and lymphocyte count, serum cortisol level and immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM and IgE) levels were estimated for comparison between the two groups. Results: Serum cortisol levels were found significantly (pË‚0.001) raised in rats exposed to chronic restraint stress. TLC, Lymphocyte count and serum IgA, IgE, IgG and IgM levels significantly (pË‚0.001) decreased in rats exposed to chronic restraint stress as compared to the rats which were not exposed to stress. Conclusion: Chronic restraint stress compromises immune status by decreasing the levels of immunoglobulins and lymphocyte count with concomitant increase in serum cortisol.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Tournier JN, Mathieu J, Mailfert Y, Multon E, Drouet C, Jouan A, Drouet E. Chronic restraint stress induces severe disruption of the T-cell specific response to tetanus toxin vaccine. Immunology 2001;102:87–93. Erratum in Immunology 2001;102(4):515.
2. Seyle H. A syndrome produced by diverse, noxious agents. Nature 1936;32:132–8.
3. Stefanski V, Engler H. Effects of acute and chronic social stress on blood cellular immunity in rats. Physiol Behav 1998;64:733–41.
4. Zhang D, Kishihara K, Wang B, Mizobe K, Kubo C, Nomoto K. Restraint stress-induced immunosuppression by inhibiting leukocyte migration and Th1 cytokine expression during intraperitoneal infection of Listeria monocytogenes. J Neuroimmunol 1998;92:139–51.
5. Mc Ewen BS. Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. N Engl J Med 2008;338:171–9.
6. Dhabhar FS, McEwen BS. Acute stress enhances while chronic stress suppresses cell-mediated immunity in vivo: a potential role for leukocyte trafficking. Brain Behav Immun 1997;11:286–306.
7. Cohen S, Miller GE, Rabin BS. Psychological stress and antibody response to immunization: A critical review of the human literature. Psychosom Med 2001;63:7–18.
8. Herbert T, Cohen S. Stress and immunity in humans: A Meta Analytic. Psychosom Med 1993;55:364–73.
9. Lookingland KJ, Gunnet JW, Toney TW, Moore KE. Comparison of the effects of ether and restraint stress on the activity of tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neuron in female and male rats. Neuroendocrinology 1990;52:99–105.
10. Klenerova V, Sery O, Hynie S. Corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor sub type in the rat anterior pituitary after 2 types of restraint stress. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2008;1148:415–20.
11. Laifenfeld D, Karry R, Grauer E, Klein E, Ben-Shachar D. Antidepressant and prolonged stress in rats modulates CAM-L1, Laminin and pcreb, implicated in neuronal plasticity. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen 2005;20:432–41.
12. Cohen S, Miller GE, Rabin BS. Psychological stress and antibody response to immunization: A critical review of the human literature. Psychosom Med 2001;63:7–18.
13. Santos J, Benjamin M, Yang PC, Prior T, Perdue MH. Chronic stress impairs rat growth and jejunal epithelial barrier function: role of mast cells. Am J Physiol Gastointest Liver Physiol 2000;278:847–54.
14. Dallman MF, Pecoraro N, Akana SF, Fleur SEI, Gomaz F, Houshyar H . Chronic stress and obesity: a new view of Comfort food. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2003;100:11696–701.
15. Schulz P, Kirschbaun D, Pruisner J, Hellhammer D. Increased free cortisol secretion after awakening in chronically stressed individuals due to work overload. BMC Immunol 1996;32:1098–112.
16. Zager A, Anderson ML, Riuz FS, Antunes IB, Tufik S. Effect of acute and chronic sleep on immune modulation of rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2007;293:504–9.
17. Dhabhar FS. Stress-induced enhancement of antigen-specific, cell-mediated immunity: The role of hormones and leukocyte trafficking. Am J Immunol 1996;156:2608–15.
18. Lin W, Wang W, Zheng Li, Craig W. The effect of emotional stress on the primary humoral immunity of rats. J Psychopharmacol 2003;17:179–83.
19. Herbert T, Cohen S. Stress and immunity in humans: A meta analytic review. Psychosom Med 1993;55:364–73.
20. Hucklebridge F, Clow A, Evans P. The relationship between salivary secretory immunoglobulin A and cortisol: neuroendocrine response to awakening and the diurnal cycle. Int J psychophysiol 1998;31:69–76.

Downloads

Published

30-06-2013

How to Cite

1.
Moazzam S, Hussain MM, Babar A. RESPONSE OF HYPOTHALAMO-PITUITARY-ADRENAL AXIS AND IMMUNE SYSTEM TO CHRONIC RESTRAINT STRESS IN MALE SPRAGUE DAWLEY RATS. Pak J Phsyiol [Internet]. 2013 Jun. 30 [cited 2024 Apr. 25];9(1):29-31. Available from: https://pjp.pps.org.pk/index.php/PJP/article/view/325

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1 (2013): Pakistan Journal of Physiology

Section

Original Article

License

Pakistan Journal of Physiology, Pak J Physiol, PJP is FREE for research and academic purposes. It can be freely downloaded and stored, printed, presented, cited and quoted with full reference of, and acknowledgement to the PJP.