Pyter Leah M, Bever Savannah R, Khantsis Sabina, Glasper Erica R
Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA; Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Group, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA; Arthur G. James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Solove Research Institute, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
Physiol Behav. 2018 Dec 1;197:42-50. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.09.009. Epub 2018 Sep 21.
Immune activity influences reproduction, however, the extent to which mating experience may inversely alter immune pathways is poorly understood. A few studies in humans suggest that mating triggers a circulating immune and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response. In male rats, mating experience enhances neuroplasticity and improves cognitive function and affective-like behavior, independent of the physical activity component. Yet, the extent to which mating experience may influence immune responses in the brain remain unexplored. Here, we hypothesized that recent mating experience in male rats increases neuroinflammatory signaling (via lipopolysaccharide [LPS] stimulation, i.p.) and associated sickness behaviors (i.e., food intake, weight loss) relative to sexually-naïve controls. Virgin male rats were exposed to a sexually non-receptive (control) or sexually-receptive female for 30 min for six consecutive days. Immediately following the last mating experience, rats were administered a saline or LPS injection and euthanized four hours later. Mating increased Tnfα responses to LPS in the brain, which positively correlated with LPS-induced weight loss. Mating also increased peripheral corticosterone among saline-treated rats, but this corticosterone response was attenuated in the most proficient copulators (e.g., shortest latencies). Thus, recent mating experience may be a unique modulator of select stimulated inflammatory signals that are relevant to adaptive neuroimmune responses and behavior.
免疫活动会影响生殖，然而，交配经历可能反向改变免疫途径的程度却鲜为人知。一些针对人类的研究表明，交配会引发循环免疫以及下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺轴反应。在雄性大鼠中，交配经历可增强神经可塑性，并改善认知功能和类情感行为，且与身体活动部分无关。然而，交配经历可能影响大脑免疫反应的程度仍未得到探索。在此，我们假设相对于性成熟前的对照组，近期有交配经历的雄性大鼠会增加神经炎症信号（通过腹腔注射脂多糖 [LPS] 刺激）及相关疾病行为（即食物摄入、体重减轻）。将未交配过的雄性大鼠连续六天每天与性不接受（对照）或性接受的雌性大鼠接触30分钟。在最后一次交配经历后，立即给大鼠注射生理盐水或LPS，并在四小时后实施安乐死。交配增加了大脑中Tnfα对LPS的反应，这与LPS诱导的体重减轻呈正相关。交配还增加了生理盐水处理组大鼠的外周皮质酮水平，但在最熟练的交配者（例如，最短潜伏期）中这种皮质酮反应减弱。因此，近期的交配经历可能是与适应性神经免疫反应和行为相关的特定刺激炎症信号的独特调节因子。
