title: Social isolation stress exacerbates autoimmune disease in MRL/lpr mice.
abstract: The potential physiological mechanisms explaining an influence of psychosocial stress on autoimmune diseases remain undetermined. Exposure of chronic social isolation stress to MRL/lpr mice significantly enhanced the degree of proteinuria after 20 weeks of age and reduced the survival rate. The serum anti-dsDNA IgG2a levels were increased significantly by stress at 19 weeks of age, which was simultaneously accompanied by inhibition of the serum corticosterone elevation. Furthermore, stress caused increased IFN-gamma production from anti-CD3-stimulated splenic mononuclear cells, whereas IL-4 and IL-10 production decreased. These results indicated that isolation stress exacerbated autoimmune disease in MRL/lpr mice, the possible mechanism for which might be related to stress-induced dysregulation of Th1/Th2 balance and inhibition of the blood corticosterone response to inflammatory stimuli.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. chidayo@cephal.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chida
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sudo
authors.forename: Chiharu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kubo
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D019463:Mice, Inbred MRL lpr / Q000502:physiology*; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000378:metabolism; D012934:Social Isolation; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies; D016207:Cytokines; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes; D003345:Corticosterone