title: Repeated restraint stress reduces the number of IgA-producing cells in Peyer's patches.
abstract: The few reports that have analyzed the effects of stress on the immune cells of the intestinal mucosa or the functions of these cells have tended to focus on S-IgA levels in saliva, and these studies have shown contradictory results. The principal objective of this study was to analyze the effects of repeated restraint stress on the number and distribution of immune cells in Peyer's patches (PPs) as well as the effects of glucocorticoid and catecholamine administration on the same stress-related parameters. Upon analyzing the effect of repeated restraint stress on PPs, it was found that there was no modification in the morphological structure of the PPs but that restraint stress reduced the total number of lymphocytes and the number of CD8+ T cells, B cells, and plasma cells in PPs. Only at the site of PPs where IgA-producing plasma cells are most numerous (the dome) was a decrease found in this type of cell. These effects were due at least in part to the effect of glucocorticoids and catecholamines. Since IgA produced in PPs is a natural antibody that impedes bacterial infections, repeated stress may favor the entry of pathogens through the intestine.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica y Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina-IPN, México.
authors.forename: Beatriz Elina
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Martínez-Carrillo
authors.forename: Marycarmen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Godinez-Victoria
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jarillo-Luna
authors.forename: Rigoberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oros-Pantoja
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abarca-Rojano
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rivera-Aguilar
authors.forename: Judith Pacheco
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Yépez
authors.forename: Luvia Enid
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Torres
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Campos-Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010581:Peyer's Patches / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A