title: Acute psychological stress: effects on chemotaxis and cellular adhesion molecule expression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Activation of a psychological stress response increases autonomic activity and enhances immune function by inducing a significant increase in numbers of leukocytes at sites of inflammation. Chemotaxis and cellular adhesion are thought to mediate leukocyte trafficking. In this study, we examine the effects of an acute psychological stress on chemotactic responses of PBMCs and on CAM expression in relation to measures of sympathetic activation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects underwent either a public speaking task (N = 24) or a control condition (N = 13). Blood was drawn before the task, immediately after, and 20 minutes after, the task for changes in percentage of cells expressing cellular adhesion molecules, chemotaxis to chemokines, HR, blood pressure, and E and NE levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In response to the laboratory stressor, increases of PBMC chemotaxis to FMLP and SDF-1 were found, which were coupled with increases in the percentages of lymphocytes expressing the integrin Mac-1. Autonomic activity, including blood pressure and circulating levels of catecholamines, increased after administration of the stressor, and correlated with increases of Mac-1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data show that acute stress induces increase of chemotaxis and expression of CAM expression, which may contribute to increased migration and recruitment of immune cells to sites of infection and/or inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA. lredwine@vapop.ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Redwine
authors.forename: Shanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Snow
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Irwin
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000097:blood; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D018925:Chemokines / Q000494:pharmacology; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D019041:L-Selectin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D016177:Macrophage-1 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009240:N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine / Q000494:pharmacology; D013060:Speech; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D018925:Chemokines; D016177:Macrophage-1 Antigen; D019041:L-Selectin; D009240:N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine