title: Liver injury after an aggressive encounter in male mice.
abstract: Acute and intense psychological stressors induce cell damage in several organs, including the heart and the liver. Much less is known about social stress. In male mice, aggressive behavior is the most common social stressor. It is remarkable that upon fighting, submandibular salivary glands release a number of peptides into the bloodstream including epidermal growth factor (EGF). We showed previously that released EGF protects the heart from cell damage in this particular stressful situation. Here, we studied the effect of an aggressive encounter on the liver and whether EGF has a similar effect on this organ. An aggressive encounter in male mice caused inflammatory response and a transient increase in plasma alanine and aspartate transaminase activities. At 3 h, focal infiltration of neutrophils was observed in liver parenchyma. These cells accumulate on eosinophilic hepatocytes, which may correspond to dying cells. A few hours later, evidence of necrotic lesion was observed. Surgical excision of submandibular glands, sialoadenectomy, did not prevent the rise in plasma EGF concentration and did not affect the increase in plasma transaminase activities. Neither did the administration of tyrphostin AG-1478 (inhibitor of EGF receptor kinase) alter the increase in plasma alanine transaminase activity. However, it did enhance the rise in both aspartate transaminase and creatine kinase activity, suggesting heart damage. We conclude that an aggressive encounter causes mild liver damage and that released EGF does not protect this organ, in contrast to its effect on the heart.
authors.affiliation: Dept. de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 645, 08028-Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Meritxell
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viladrich
authors.forename: Ignasi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ramírez
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soley
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000502:physiology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000502:physiology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008112:Liver Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000502:physiology; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000503:physiopathology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D020032:Tyrphostins / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D008112:Liver Glycogen; D020032:Tyrphostins; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D003345:Corticosterone