title: Influence of a psychogenic and a neurogenic stressor on several indices of immune functioning in different strains of mice.
abstract: It is demonstrated that cell proliferation in response to mitogens, natural killer cell (NK) activity, and macrophage functioning of mice may be influenced by either a neurogenic stressor (footshock) or a psychogenic stressor (exposing the mouse to a predator, namely a rat). The nature and magnitude of the immune changes, however, varied across three strains of mice (BALB/cByJ, C57BL/6ByJ, and CD-1), differing in reactivity to stressors and also as a function of the type of stressor employed. While footshock reduced mitogen-stimulated B-cell proliferation in BALB/cByJ mice, it had the opposite effect in the CD-1 strain. Exposure to the predator, however, had little effect in any of the strains. Macrophage activity and NK cytotoxicity were reduced in response to both stressors in a strain-dependent fashion. Plasma corticosterone in response to footshock was greater in BALB/cByJ than in C57BL/6ByJ mice; however, the strain difference was not evident in response to the psychogenic stressor. It is suggested that analyses of stressor effects on immune functioning need to consider the specific strain/species employed, the particular immune parameters being examined, and the nature of the stressor employed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Z W
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Ravindran
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Merali
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Anisman
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D004597:Electroshock; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000502:physiology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003345:Corticosterone