title: Restraint stress augments antibody production in cyclophosphamide-treated mice.
abstract: These studies evaluated the effects of a psychological stressor (restraint, RST) on antibody production in male BALB/cByJ mice. In Experiment 1, mice were immunized with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH, 100 microg i.p.) 8 h prior to 15 h of RST or food and water deprivation (FWD). RST mice exhibited higher serum anti-KLH IgM and IgG antibodies than FWD mice. In Experiment 2, mice were given either cyclophosphamide (CY, 15 mg/kg) or saline (SAL) prior to immunization with KLH and RST or FWD. ANOVA revealed serum anti-KLH IgG antibody titers in CY+RST animals to be significantly higher than in CY+FWD, SAL+FWD, and SAL+RST mice. Anti-KLH IgM titers of CY+RST mice were higher than those of other groups before and after a second immunization with KLH. In Experiment 3, we show that these changes in antibody production are not likely to be mediated via CY-induced alterations in the reactivity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis to RST. Together, these results indicate two potentially immunomodulatory parameters (RST and CY) can interact to alter a humoral immune response. In addition, these data support the hypothesis that humoral immune response of mice can be more reactive to stress when the mice are given a low dose of an immunomodulatory drug prior to stressor exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, USA. jkarp@rider.edu
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Karp
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hawk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006433:Hemocyanins / Q000276:immunology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D006433:Hemocyanins; C032808:keyhole-limpet hemocyanin; D003345:Corticosterone