DeVries A C, Gerber J M, Richardson H N, Moffatt C A, Demas G E, Taymans S E, Nelson R J
Department of Psychology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
Comp Biochem Physiol A Physiol. 1997 Nov;118(3):655-63. doi: 10.1016/s0300-9629(97)87355-0.
Glucocorticoids, secreted in response to perceived stress, can suppress immunoglobulin (Ig) levels and compromise immune function in mice and rats. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) have been reported to exhibit basal corticosterone concentrations that would cause pathological changes in the immune function of most other rodents. The goals of the present study were to verify that serum corticosterone concentrations are high in prairie voles, as compared with house mice (Mus musculus), by measuring serum corticosterone with the same RIA; to examine the effects of mild stressors on corticosterone response in both species and to examine the effects of elevated corticosterone levels on IgM and IgG levels in prairie voles and house mice. After 2 weeks of randomly timed 15-min daily restraint or cold-water swim sessions, animals were injected with sheep red blood cells. The data confirmed that basal blood concentrations of corticosterone were higher in prairie voles than house mice, but these high levels doubled after the first swim session in prairie voles, indicating that the adrenals can respond to stressors by producing increased corticosterone. After stress, antibody production (both IgM and IgG) was reduced in house mice but not in prairie voles, despite higher blood concentrations of glucocorticoids in prairie voles. Although body mass was statistically equivalent between species, prairie voles and mice differed dramatically in adrenal and splenic masses. Average adrenal mass of prairie voles was approximately three times the average mass of these organs in house mice; in contrast, the average splenic mass of house mice was approximately three times that of prairie voles. These data may be relevant to seasonal changes in immune function and survival.
糖皮质激素在机体感知到应激时分泌，可抑制小鼠和大鼠的免疫球蛋白（Ig）水平并损害免疫功能。据报道，草甸田鼠（Microtus ochrogaster）的基础皮质酮浓度会在大多数其他啮齿动物的免疫功能中引发病理变化。本研究的目的是通过使用相同的放射免疫分析法（RIA）测量血清皮质酮，来验证与家鼠（Mus musculus）相比，草甸田鼠的血清皮质酮浓度是否较高；研究轻度应激源对这两个物种皮质酮反应的影响，以及皮质酮水平升高对草甸田鼠和家鼠IgM和IgG水平的影响。在每天随机安排的15分钟束缚或冷水游泳训练持续2周后，给动物注射绵羊红细胞。数据证实，草甸田鼠的基础血液皮质酮浓度高于家鼠，但在草甸田鼠第一次游泳训练后，这些高水平增加了一倍，表明肾上腺可通过产生更多皮质酮对应激源作出反应。应激后，家鼠的抗体产生（IgM和IgG）减少，但草甸田鼠没有，尽管草甸田鼠血液中的糖皮质激素浓度较高。尽管两个物种的体重在统计学上相当，但草甸田鼠和家鼠的肾上腺和脾脏质量差异显著。草甸田鼠的平均肾上腺质量约为家鼠这些器官平均质量的三倍；相反，家鼠的平均脾脏质量约为草甸田鼠的三倍。这些数据可能与免疫功能和生存的季节性变化有关。
