Macrophage stimulation reduces the cholesterol levels of stressed and unstressed rats.
Male, Sprague-Dawley rats were either treated with zymosan, a nonspecific macrophage stimulator, or saline vehicle. Half of each group were then subjected to a stress procedure, the other half remained in their home cage. Results indicate that zymosan-treated animals had lower levels of total, low-density/very-low-density, and high-density lipoprotein than vehicle controls. Stressed animals had higher levels of the cholesterol parameters than did home cage controls. Manipulation of macrophage levels may be a prophylactic manipulation to combat stress-induced increases in cholesterol.
Brennan
F X
FX
Department of Psychology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, USA.
Fleshner
M
M
Watkins
L R
LR
Maier
S F
SF
D000818:Animals; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood* / Q000145:classification; D008262:Macrophage Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood*; D015054:Zymosan / Q000494:pharmacology
D015054:Zymosan; D002784:Cholesterol