Hu J, Chen Z, Gorczynski C P, Gorczynski L Y, Kai Y, Lee L, Manuel J, Gorczynski R M
The Toronto Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
Brain Behav Immun. 2003 Dec;17(6):498-504. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2003.03.001.
Serum cytokine and chemokine levels were examined in mice following 36 h of sleep deprivation, or after exposure to a known physical stressor (rotational stress). Significant changes in inflammatory cytokines/chemokines (IL-1beta, TNFalpha, IL-1ra, IL-6, and MIP-1beta, MCP-1) were observed following each manipulation, but qualitative and quantitative differences were seen. Interestingly, only physical stress was associated with measured increases in serum corticosterone levels, and with independent evidence (using in vitro immune allostimulation) for a generalized immunosuppression secondary to the experimental manipulation. Our data suggest that altered cytokine production following sleep perturbation occurs by a different mechanism from that (HPA axis) commonly attributed to stress per se.