title: Effects of acute stress on cardiac endocannabinoids, lipogenesis, and inflammation in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Trauma exposure can precipitate acute stress (AS) and cardiovascular disorders (CVD). Identifying AS-related physiologic changes that affect CVD risk could inform development of early CVD prevention strategies. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) regulates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and stress-related cardiovascular function. We examine stress-related ECS activity and its association with cardiovascular biochemistry/function after AS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rodents (n = 8-16/group) were exposed to predator odor or saline; elevated plus maze, blood pressure, serum and cardiac ECS markers, and lipid metabolism were assessed 24 hours and 2 weeks postexposure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 24 hours, the predator odor group demonstrated anxiety-like behavior and had a) elevated serum markers of cardiac failure/damage (brain natriuretic peptide: 275.1 versus 234.6, p = .007; troponin I: 1.50 versus 0.78, p = .076), lipogenesis (triacylglycerols: 123.5 versus 85.93, p = .018), and inflammation (stearoyl delta-9 desaturase activity: 0.21 versus 0.07, p < .001); b) decreased cardiac 2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol (29.90 versus 65.95, p < .001), oleoylethanolamide (114.3 versus 125.4, p = .047), and palmitoylethanolamide (72.96 versus 82.87, p = .008); and c) increased cardiac inflammation (interleukin [IL]-1β/IL-6 ratio: 19.79 versus 13.57, p = .038; tumor necrosis factor α/IL-6 ratio: 1.73 versus 1.03, p = .019) and oxidative stress (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances: 7.81 versus 7.05, p = .022), which were associated with cardiac steatosis (higher triacylglycerol: 1.09 versus 0.72, p < .001). Cardiac lipogenesis persisted, and elevated blood pressure emerged 2 weeks postexposure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acute psychological stress elicits ECS-related cardiac responses associated with persistent, potentially pathological changes in rat cardiovascular biochemistry/function.
authors.affiliation: Program in Nursing Science, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697, USA (Dr. Holman); Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, 3216 A Gillespie Neuroscience Research Facility, Irvine, California, 92697, USA (Drs. Guijarro and Piomelli, Mr. Lim); Drug Discovery and Development, Italian Institute of Technology, via Morego 30, Genoa, Italy 16163 (Drs. Guijarro and Piomelli).
authors.forename: E Alison
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Holman
authors.affiliation: Program in Nursing Science, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697, USA (Dr. Holman); Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, 3216 A Gillespie Neuroscience Research Facility, Irvine, California, 92697, USA (Drs. Guijarro and Piomelli, Mr. Lim); Drug Discovery and Development, Italian Institute of Technology, via Morego 30, Genoa, Italy 16163 (Drs. Guijarro and Piomelli).
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guijarro
authors.affiliation: Program in Nursing Science, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697, USA (Dr. Holman); Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, 3216 A Gillespie Neuroscience Research Facility, Irvine, California, 92697, USA (Drs. Guijarro and Piomelli, Mr. Lim); Drug Discovery and Development, Italian Institute of Technology, via Morego 30, Genoa, Italy 16163 (Drs. Guijarro and Piomelli).
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Program in Nursing Science, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697, USA (Dr. Holman); Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, 3216 A Gillespie Neuroscience Research Facility, Irvine, California, 92697, USA (Drs. Guijarro and Piomelli, Mr. Lim); Drug Discovery and Development, Italian Institute of Technology, via Morego 30, Genoa, Italy 16163 (Drs. Guijarro and Piomelli).
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Piomelli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D063388:Endocannabinoids / Q000097:blood*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D050155:Lipogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D040701:Stress Disorders, Traumatic, Acute / Q000150:complications*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D063388:Endocannabinoids
keywords: acute stress; cardiovascular status; endocannabinoids; inflammation; lipogenesis; triacylglycerols