title: Underlying inflammation has no impact on the oxidative stress response to acute mental stress.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mental stress is considered to be a trigger for acute myocardial infarction (MI), with inflammation thought to provide a mechanism. Inflammation is reciprocally linked to oxidative stress, which has also been implicated in MI. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of experimentally-induced inflammation on the oxidative stress response to mental stress in healthy participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Healthy males undertook one of two inflammatory stimuli: typhoid vaccination (Vaccination paradigm, N=17) or eccentric exercise (Eccentric exercise paradigm, N=17). All participants completed a mental arithmetic stress task twice (within-subject design): 6h after the inflammatory stimulus, and during a control non-inflammation condition. Blood samples were taken before, immediately and 30min after the stress task. Plasma was assessed for interleukin-6 (IL-6), protein carbonyls (PC), lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and nitric oxide metabolites (NOx).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Vaccination paradigm: IL-6, PC and NOx were significantly higher in the vaccination condition, relative to the control condition (p<.05). PC, TAC, LOOH and NOx were unchanged in response to mental stress in both the vaccination and control conditions. Eccentric Exercise paradigm: IL-6 and TAC were significantly higher in the eccentric exercise condition (p<.05), relative to the control condition. PC, TAC and NOx were unchanged in response to mental stress in both the eccentric exercise and control conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Two different inflammatory paradigms were successful in increasing selective plasma markers of inflammation and oxidative stress prior to a mental stress task. However, experimentally induced transient inflammation had no impact on mental stress-induced changes in plasma LOOH, PC, TAC or NOx in young healthy participants.
authors.affiliation: School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK(2); School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK.
authors.forename: Alex J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Wadley
authors.affiliation: School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK(2).
authors.forename: Jet J C S
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Veldhuijzen van Zanten
authors.affiliation: School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK(2); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Duke University Medical Centre, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Nicola J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Paine
authors.affiliation: School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK(2); MRC Centre for Immune Regulation, School of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
authors.forename: Mark T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Drayson
authors.affiliation: School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK(2). Electronic address: s.aldred.1@bham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aldred
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000276:immunology*; D014436:Typhoid-Paratyphoid Vaccines / Q000633:toxicity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D014436:Typhoid-Paratyphoid Vaccines
keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Cytokine; Myocardial infarction; Oxidative stress; Psychological stress