title: Acute psychological stress increases peripheral blood CD3+CD56+ natural killer T cells in healthy men: possible implications for the development and treatment of allergic and autoimmune disorders.
abstract: Acute psychological stress has primarily been investigated regarding its effects on conventional lymphocytes such as natural killer (NK) cells and CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. However, it might be important to focus on more "specialized" lymphocyte subsets, playing a role, for instance, in allergic conditions and autoimmunity, to identify links between stress, the immune system and somatic diseases. Using flow cytometry we determined frequencies of circulating T helper (Th)1-type (CD226(+)) and Th2-type (CRTH2(+)) T cells, γδ T cells, conventional CD56(+) natural killer T (NKT) cells and invariant NKT cells (iNKT) in healthy young males (N = 31; median age 26 years) undergoing a laboratory computer-based stressor lasting 12 min. We found that acute psychological stress induced a prolonged increase in CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells expressing a Th2 phenotype. We also detected an acute increase in CD4(-) and CD8(-) double negative γδ T cells. Finally, we found that the well-known increase in NK cells under stressful conditions was paralleled by a significant increase in numbers of conventional CD56(+) NKT cells. In contrast, numbers of iNKT was not altered by stress. This study adds further evidence to a psychoneuroimmunological model proposing that under stressful conditions certain lymphocyte subsets, including iNKT and less mature T cells, are retained in lymphoid tissues while antigen-experienced effector-type T cells with a Th2 phenotype, γδ T cells and conventional CD56(+) NKT cells are mobilized into the peripheral blood. We suggest that in the case of frequent stress exposure, this might result in the promotion of, for example, allergic conditions.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine II, Oncology/Hematology/Stem Cell Transplantation, Center of Oncology, University Cancer Center Hamburg (Hubertus Wald Tumorzentrum), Martinistrasse 52, Hamburg, Germany. D.Atanackovic@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors: Djordje
authors: D
authors: Atanackovic
authors: Ulrike
authors: U
authors: Nowottne
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Freier
authors: Cora Stefanie
authors: CS
authors: Weber
authors: Sabrina
authors: S
authors: Meyer
authors: Katrin
authors: K
authors: Bartels
authors: York
authors: Y
authors: Hildebrandt
authors: Yanran
authors: Y
authors: Cao
authors: Nicolaus
authors: N
authors: Kröger
authors: Monika Christine
authors: MC
authors: Brunner-Weinzierl
authors: Carsten
authors: C
authors: Bokemeyer
authors: Hans-Christian
authors: HC
authors: Deter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000276:immunology*; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology*; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D055611:Natural Killer T-Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D000098862:T Lineage-Specific Activation Antigen 1
chemical_list: D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000098862:T Lineage-Specific Activation Antigen 1; D017252:CD3 Complex; D019002:CD56 Antigen; C522918:NCAM1 protein, human; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta