Cirulli F, Pistillo L, de Acetis L, Alleva E, Aloe L
Section of Behavioral Pathophysiology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
Brain Behav Immun. 1998 Jun;12(2):123-33. doi: 10.1006/brbi.1998.0505.
Mast cells (MCs) are amine-storing cells with heterogeneous histological, biochemical, and functional properties. They are found in connective tissue as well as in the peripheral and central nervous system (CNS) of many mammalian species. In this study we investigated whether the distribution of MCs in the CNS of adult male CD-1 mice was modified following repeated defeat stress. Experimental subjects underwent a 3-week period of fighting encounters with a highly aggressive resident. On the test day they were divided into three groups: (a) paired with the resident for 20 min; (b) placed in a cage containing the soiled bedding of the resident for 20 min; (c) placed in a cage with clean sawdust for 20 min. Results show that previous defeat stress increases the number of MCs in the thalamus, habenula, and hypothalamus of subjects exposed to a fighting opponent or to a clean cage, compared to subjects placed in a cage with the bedding of the opponent or to a group-housed, nondefeated control. These results, together with previous reports in birds and rodents, suggest that MCs have a wider role than previously expected and might be involved in the behavioral response to highly relevant psychosocial stimuli.
肥大细胞（MCs）是储存胺类的细胞，具有异质性的组织学、生化和功能特性。它们存在于结缔组织以及许多哺乳动物物种的外周和中枢神经系统（CNS）中。在本研究中，我们调查了成年雄性CD-1小鼠中枢神经系统中肥大细胞的分布在反复遭受应激失败后是否发生改变。实验对象与一只极具攻击性的常驻小鼠进行了为期3周的争斗。在测试日，它们被分为三组：（a）与常驻小鼠配对20分钟；（b）放置在装有常驻小鼠脏垫料的笼子里20分钟；（c）放置在装有干净锯末的笼子里20分钟。结果显示，与放置在装有对手垫料的笼子里的小鼠或群居、未遭受应激失败的对照组相比，先前的应激失败会增加暴露于争斗对手或干净笼子中的小鼠丘脑、缰核和下丘脑的肥大细胞数量。这些结果，连同先前在鸟类和啮齿动物中的报道，表明肥大细胞的作用比先前预期的更广泛，可能参与对高度相关的社会心理刺激的行为反应。
