Effects of social isolation stress on immune response and survival time of mouse with liver cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of isolation stress on mouse with liver cancer and possible associated mechanisms.


METHODS
Transplantable murine hepatoma22 (H22) model was used to evaluate the effects of social isolation stress on murine liver cancer. Mice were immunized with sheep red blood cell (SRBC) and intraperitoneally inoculated with H22 cell, then divided into two groups, one reared individually as group (I) and the other reared in groups as group (G). Titer of antibody to SRBC and interleukin 2 (IL-2) in serum was monitored. The survival time of mouse with liver cancer was observed.


RESULTS
The titer of antibody to SRBC in group (G) was 1:24.5 and that in group (I) was 1:11.2. There was a significant difference between these two groups (t = 2.60, P = 0.02). A significant difference in IL-2 concentration was observed between group (G) (39.6 ng/L) and group (I) (47.1 ng/L, t = 2.14, P = 0.046). The survival time in group (G) (16.5 d) was markedly longer than that in group (I) (13.2 d, t = 3.46, P = 0.002).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that survival time of the mouse bearing H22 tumor is affected by the social isolation stress and the associated mechanism may be the immunological changes under the social isolation stress.
Liu
Hui
H
Department of Clinical Immunology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116027, Liaoning Province, China. liuhui60@mail.dlptt.ln.cn
Wang
Zhun
Z
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000523:psychology; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D012934:Social Isolation; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D015996:Survival Rate
D007376:Interleukin-2