Abstract
The effect of exposure to emotional stress on the primary humoral immune function (antiovallum antibody level and spleen index), the endocrine response (corticosterone level, epinephrine and norepinephrine levels), the behavioral changes (exploring, grooming and attacking behavior) was studied in adult male Wistar rats. Emotional stress was induced by randomly giving empty water bottles to rats trained to drink water at two set times each day. Emotional stress were given 14 times, ten minutes per each time during experimental period. Results showed that firstly, empty water bottles induced significant attacking behavior (biting the empty water bottle and cage shed) in rats of emotional stress group, secondly emotional stress decreased the weight of the spleen and the level of specific anti-OVA IgG antibody and increased the levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine and corticosterone. A negative correlation between antibody levels and level of norepinephrine was also found. Together with the previous work in our laboratory, the results demonstrated that emotional stress suppressed the specific primary humoral immunity of rats. The sympathetic nervous system may be involved in this immunomodulation.
| Keywords: | emotional stress; antibody; norepinephrine; epinephrine; corticosterone |
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