Study of the immune disorder and metabolic dysregulation underlying mental abnormalities caused by exposure to narrow confined spaces

Abstract

Prolonged confinement in cramped spaces can lead to derangements in brain function/structure, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate, we subjected mice to restraint stress to simulate long-term narrow and enclosed space confinement, assessing their mental state through behavioral tests. Stressed mice showed reduced center travel and dwell time in the Open Field Test and increased immobility in the Tail Suspension Test. We measured lower hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and cortical monoamine neurotransmitters (5-HT and NE) in the stressed group. Further examination of the body’s immune levels and serum metabolism revealed immune dysregulation and metabolic imbalance in the stressed group. The results of the metabolic network regulation analysis indicate that the targets affected by these differential metabolites are involved in several metabolic pathways that the metabolites themselves participate in, such as the “long-term depression” and “purine metabolism” pathways. Additionally, these targets are also associated with numerous immune-related pathways, such as the TNF, NF-κB, and IL-17 signaling pathways, and these findings were validated using GEO dataset analysis. Molecular docking results suggest that differential metabolites may regulate specific immune factors such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, and these results were confirmed in experiments. Our research findings suggest that long-term exposure to confined and narrow spaces can lead to the development of psychopathologies, possibly mediated by immune system dysregulation and metabolic disruption.