Fernandes G A
Departamento de Patologia Clínica, Núcleo de Medicina e Cirurgia Experimental, Faculdade de Ciéncias Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, 13083-970, Campinas, Sao Paolo, Brazil.
Physiol Behav. 2000 May;69(3):221-30. doi: 10.1016/s0031-9384(99)00226-7.
This work was developed during an investigation on the neuroendocrine-immune interaction in rats immune challenged with sheep red blood cells (SRBC). The structures used for evaluating the immunological response was the direct plaque-forming cells (PFC). An inbred strain of rat was used to overcome the problem of different timings in the peak humoral immune response. Normal rats were injected intraperitoneally with saline or SRBC and were killed 0, 3, 4, 5, and 6 days later. Body and gland weights were recorded, and. serum levels of corticosterone and prolactin were quantified by radioimmunoassay. The hormone levels and gland weights of the saline conspecifics and SRBC-treated rats were found to be similar. When new rats were housed in a separate room and treated with physiological saline, there were again no differences in the body and gland weights or the serum hormone levels between the two home cage control (HCC) groups of animals. Compared with saline conspecifics and SRBC-treated groups, the HCC groups had higher body weights from the third to the sixth day of treatment and had lower gland weights in absolute and relative analysis (pituitary, thyroid, and adrenals) mainly on the fourth and fifth days; thymus weights were highest on the third day. Corticosterone and prolactin levels were significantly lower on the fifth and sixth days, respectively. Because SRBC-treated rats showed a peak direct immune response on the fourth and fifth days and showed peak corticosterone levels on the fifth day after treatment, we conclude that the former animals were under stress and influenced their saline conspecifics through sound or smell. This conclusion agrees with other studies, showing that physically or emotionally stressed rats can influence conspecifics through noise and body odors.
这项工作是在对用绵羊红细胞（SRBC）进行免疫攻击的大鼠的神经内分泌-免疫相互作用的研究过程中开展的。用于评估免疫反应的结构是直接溶血空斑形成细胞（PFC）。使用近交系大鼠来克服体液免疫反应峰值出现时间不同的问题。正常大鼠腹腔注射生理盐水或SRBC，并在0、3、4、5和6天后处死。记录体重和腺体重量，并用放射免疫分析法对血清皮质酮和催乳素水平进行定量。发现生理盐水处理的同物种大鼠和经SRBC处理的大鼠的激素水平和腺体重量相似。当将新的大鼠饲养在单独的房间并用生理盐水处理时，两组同笼对照（HCC）动物在体重、腺体重量或血清激素水平方面再次没有差异。与生理盐水处理的同物种大鼠组和经SRBC处理的组相比，HCC组在处理的第3至6天体重较高，在绝对和相对分析中（垂体、甲状腺和肾上腺）主要在第4和第5天腺体重量较低；胸腺重量在第3天最高。皮质酮和催乳素水平分别在第5天和第6天显著降低。由于经SRBC处理的大鼠在第4和第5天表现出直接免疫反应峰值，在处理后第5天表现出皮质酮水平峰值，我们得出结论，前者处于应激状态，并通过声音或气味影响了它们的生理盐水处理的同物种大鼠。这一结论与其他研究一致，表明身体或情绪上受到应激的大鼠可以通过噪音和体味影响同物种大鼠。
