Changes in various measures of immune status in mice subject to chronic social conflict.

Levels of the major regulatory subpopulations of lymphocytes in the thymus and spleen and blood lymphocyte dehydrogenase levels were measured in male mice with aggressive and submissive patterns of behavior formed over 10 or 20 aggressive confrontations leading to repeated experience of victory or defeat. The results showed that repeated experience of social confrontation non-specifically increased the proportion of segmented neutrophils and lactate dehydrogenase activity in both participants in aggressive encounters, and decreased the numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes in the spleen. Succinate dehydrogenase specifically decreased in the lymphocytes of aggressive mice and increased in the lymphocytes of submissive mice. The proportion of CD4+ T-lymphocytes in victims' thymuses also decreased. Changes in metabolic measures and percentage ratios of lymphocyte contents were dynamic and depended on the duration of confrontational interactions.