Repeated Water Avoidance Stress Alters Mucosal Mast Cell Counts, Interleukin-1β Levels with Sex Differences in the Distal Colon of Wistar Rats.
- Author:
Ju Yup LEE
1
;
Nayoung KIM
;
Yong Sung KIM
;
Ryoung Hee NAM
;
Min Hee HAM
;
Hye Seung LEE
;
Wonjun JO
;
Youngkwang SHIM
;
Yoon Jin CHOI
;
Hyuk YOON
;
Cheol Min SHIN
;
Dong Ho LEE
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Cytokines; Mast cells; Water avoidance stress
- MeSH: Analgesia; Animals; Body Weight; Colon*; Cytokines; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Humans; Male; Manometry; Mast Cells*; Rats; Rats, Wistar*; Sex Characteristics*; Tryptases; Water*
- From:Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility 2016;22(4):694-704
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was aimed at evaluating differences in the effects of repeated water avoidance stress (rWAS) on colonic movement, mucosal mast cell counts, cytokine levels, and visceromotor response (VMR) to colorectal distension (CRD) in rats of both sexes. METHODS: Wistar rats were divided into stress and no-stress groups. Rats in the stress group were exposed to rWAS (1 hr/day) for 10 days. Mucosal mast cells were immunohistochemically stained with anti-mast cell tryptase antibody and counted. The colonic mucosal cytokine levels were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The VMR to CRD (visceral analgesia) was assessed by using a barostat and noninvasive manometry. RESULTS: The mean number of fecal pellets in the rWAS group increased significantly as compared with that in the no-stress group in both sexes. After adjustment for body weight, the female rats had a significantly higher pellet output than the male rats. The mucosal mast cell count of the female rWAS group was higher than that of the male rWAS group (13.0 ± 0.9 vs 8.8 ± 0.6; P < 0.001). The colonic mucosal interleukin-1β level was also higher only in the female rats of the rWAS group than in those of the no-stress group. On days 10 and 11, a decrease in VMR to CRD was observed at 40 and 60 mmHg in both sexes of the rWAS group, without a sex-based difference. CONCLUSIONS: The colonic response to stress appeared to be more sensitive in the female rats than in the male rats. However, stress-induced visceral analgesia had no sex-related difference and the underlying mechanism needs to be further evaluated.
