Institute of Psychology, Clinical Psychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2022 Oct;144:105867. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105867. Epub 2022 Jul 13.
Psychological stress has repeatedly been found to be associated with pro-inflammatory markers in blood, and neuro-inflammation may play a role in the development of psychopathology after early life stress. Salivary immune testing is a novel method to non-invasively assess immune functioning. We examined a large range of salivary immune markers in relation to self-reported childhood maltreatment and psychopathology in an adult sample.
Participants (N = 118, 51% female, mean age = 46.6 yrs, range 22-64) were drawn from a cross-sectional three-generation study, and supplied 2 ml of saliva via passive drool. They reported on childhood maltreatment experiences and on psychopathological symptoms in the last 6 months. Hair cortisol was additionally assessed in a subsample (n = 68). Levels of IL1ß, IL6, IL8, IFNγ, TNFα, tIgE, sIgA, FLCƛ, and FLCƙ were assessed.
Linear mixed model analyses showed that several salivary immune markers were associated with age (sIgA and IgE), BMI (sIgA, IL1ß, and IL6), sex (FLCs and IgE), and bad health (IL6, IL8, TNFα). No associations with (anti-inflammatory) medication use or oral health problems were found. Notably, no associations between the immune markers and self-reported childhood maltreatment, psychopathology, or hair cortisol were found.
Salivary immune measures were found to be sensitive to individual differences in age, sex, health and BMI. However. in the current sample there was no indication of inflammation in relation to chronic psychological stress. Larger studies, including participants with higher stress levels, are needed to further examine associations between salivary immune markers and psychological stress.
心理压力已被反复证明与血液中的促炎标志物有关，而神经炎症可能在早期生活压力后心理病理学的发展中起作用。唾液免疫检测是一种评估免疫功能的新方法。我们在一个成年样本中检查了大量与自我报告的儿童期虐待和精神病理学相关的唾液免疫标志物。
参与者（N=118，女性占 51%，平均年龄 46.6 岁，年龄范围 22-64 岁）来自一项横断面三代研究，并通过被动流涎提供 2 毫升唾液。他们报告了儿童期虐待经历和过去 6 个月的心理病理症状。在一个亚样本（n=68）中还评估了头发皮质醇。评估了 IL1ß、IL6、IL8、IFNγ、TNFα、tIgE、sIgA、FLCλ、和 FLCκ的水平。
线性混合模型分析表明，几种唾液免疫标志物与年龄（sIgA 和 IgE）、BMI（sIgA、IL1ß 和 IL6）、性别（FLCs 和 IgE）和健康状况不佳（IL6、IL8、TNFα）有关。未发现与（抗炎）药物使用或口腔健康问题有关的关联。值得注意的是，免疫标志物与自我报告的儿童期虐待、精神病理学或头发皮质醇之间没有关联。
唾液免疫指标对年龄、性别、健康和 BMI 的个体差异敏感。然而，在当前样本中，没有迹象表明炎症与慢性心理压力有关。需要更大的研究，包括具有更高压力水平的参与者，以进一步研究唾液免疫标志物与心理压力之间的关联。
