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Acute Psychological Stress: Effects on Chemotaxis and Cellular Adhesion Molecule Expression

From Department of Psychiatry (L.R., S.S., P.M.), University of California, San Diego; and Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunonology (M.I.), Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California.

Address reprint requests to: Laura Redwine, PhD, VA San Diego Healthcare System, 9-151 3350 La Jolla Village Dr., La Jolla, CA 92161. Email: lredwine{at}vapop.ucsd.edu

Received for publication June 26, 2002; revision received November 6, 2002.

OBJECTIVE: Activation of a psychological stress response increases autonomic activity and enhances immune function by inducing a significant increase in numbers of leukocytes at sites of inflammation. Chemotaxis and cellular adhesion are thought to mediate leukocyte trafficking. In this study, we examine the effects of an acute psychological stress on chemotactic responses of PBMCs and on CAM expression in relation to measures of sympathetic activation.

METHODS: Subjects underwent either a public speaking task (N = 24) or a control condition (N = 13). Blood was drawn before the task, immediately after, and 20 minutes after, the task for changes in percentage of cells expressing cellular adhesion molecules, chemotaxis to chemokines, HR, blood pressure, and E and NE levels.

RESULTS: In response to the laboratory stressor, increases of PBMC chemotaxis to FMLP and SDF-1 were found, which were coupled with increases in the percentages of lymphocytes expressing the integrin Mac-1. Autonomic activity, including blood pressure and circulating levels of catecholamines, increased after administration of the stressor, and correlated with increases of Mac-1.

CONCLUSIONS: These data show that acute stress induces increase of chemotaxis and expression of CAM expression, which may contribute to increased migration and recruitment of immune cells to sites of infection and/or inflammation.

Key Words: chemotaxis, • immunity, • cellular adhesion molecule, • psychological stress, • sympathetic nervous system.

Abbreviations: PBMC = peripheral blood mononuclear cell;; E = epinephrine;; NE = norepinephrine;; CAM = cellular adhesion molecule;; Mac = macrophage-associated antigen;; LFA = lymphocyte functional antigen;; SDF = stromal-cell derived factor;; FMLP = f-met-leu-phe;; RANTES = regulated on activation normal T expressed and secreted chemokine;; IL = interleukin;; MCP = monocyte chemoattractant peptide;; ICAM = intercellular adhesion molecule;; SCID = Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV;; DSM = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual;; PBS = phosphate-buffered saline;; PE = phycoerythrin;; FITC = fluorescein isothiocyanate;; HR = heart rate;; SBP = systolic blood pressure;; DBP = diastolic blood pressure;; ANOVA = analysis of variance;; DTH = delayed type hypersensitivity.

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