Acute stress transiently activates macrophages and chemokines in cervical lymph nodes

AbstractAcute restraint stress (RS) is routinely used to study the effects of psychological and/or physiological stress. We evaluated the impact of RS on cervical lymph nodes in rats at molecular and cellular levels. Male Sprague –Dawley rats were subjected to stress by immobilization for 30, 60, and 120 min (RS30, RS60, and RS120, respectively) and compared with rats of a no-stress control (C) group. The expression of genes encoding chemokines CXCL1/CXCL2 (Cxcl1 andCxcl2) and their receptor CXCR2 (Cxcr2) was analyzed using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and microarray analyses. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization were performed to determine the expression of these proteins and the macrophage biomarker CD68. Microarray analysis revealed that the expression of 514 and 496 genes was upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in the RS30 group. Compared with the C group, the RS30 group exhibited a 23.0-, 13.0-, and 1.6-fold increase inCxcl1,Cxcl2, andCxcr2 expression. Gene Ontology analysis revealed the involvement of these three upregulated genes in the cytokine network, inflammation, and leukocyte chemotaxis and migration. RT-qPCR analysis indicated that the mRNA levels ofCxcl1 andCxcl2 were significantly increased in the RS30 group but were reverted to normal levels in the RS60 and RS120 groups.Cxcr2 mRNA level was significantly increased in the RS30 and RS120 groups compared with that in the C group. RS-induced CXCL1-immunopositive cells corr...
Source: Immunologic Research - Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research