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

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69656/pjp.v9i1.325

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.

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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 Dec. 22];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, projected, cited and quoted with full reference of, and acknowledgement to the author(s) and the PJP. The contents are published with an international CC-BY-ND-4.0 License.