title: Chronic stress induces structural alterations in splenic lymphoid tissue that are associated with changes in corticosterone levels in wistar-kyoto rats.
abstract: Major depressive disorder patients present chronic stress and decreased immunity. The Wistar-Kyoto rat (WKY) is a strain in which the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is overactivated. To determine whether chronic stress induces changes in corticosterone levels and splenic lymphoid tissue, 9-week-old male rats were subject to restraint stress (3 h daily), chemical stress (hydrocortisone treatment, 50 mg/Kg weight), mixed stress (restraint plus hydrocortisone), or control treatment (without stress) for 1, 4, and 7 weeks. The serum corticosterone levels by RIA and spleens morphology were analyzed. Corticosterone levels as did the structure, size of the follicles and morphology of the parenchyma (increase in red pulp) in the spleen, varied depending on time and type of stressor. These changes indicate that chronic stress alters the immune response in the spleen in WKY rats by inducing morphological changes, explaining in part the impaired immunity that develops in organisms that are exposed to chronic stress.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Psicoinmunología, Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente, 14370 Tlalpan, DF, Mexico.
authors.forename: María Eugenia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martinez-Mota
authors.forename: Citlaltepetl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Salinas
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marquez-Velasco
authors.forename: Nancy G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Hernandez-Chan
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morales-Montor
authors.forename: Mayra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez-Tapia
authors.forename: María L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Streber
authors.forename: Ivonne
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Granados-Camacho
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Becerril
authors.forename: Baquera-Heredia
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Javier
authors.forename: Lenin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pavón
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000494:pharmacology; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D003345:Corticosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone