Abstract
The repercussion on the immune response of the expression of intraspecific aggressiveness in the face of a stressor agent was investigated in rats. Ninety-day-old animals were divided into three groups: the control group (only immunological measurements were performed), the foot-shock (FS) (animals individually receiving FS), and the intraspecific aggressive response (IAR) group (animals receiving FS and presenting IAR). For immunological measurements, blood samples were collected promptly at 7 and 15 days after FS or IAR. The FS reduced the total leukocyte amount presented. However, aggressiveness triggered not only reduction of the leukocytes, but also lymphocyte decrease and neutrophil increase. Moreover, an elevation in total leukocytes associated with an increase in the humoral immune response was also observed one week after IAR. In this study, the expression of intraspecific aggressiveness in the face of a stressor seemed to activate the immune system and to potentiate the antigen specific humoral response.
Highlights
In several species, aggressiveness is crucial to survival, because aggressive behavior guarantees access to food, reproduction, protection of the young, and capacity to confront predators and act in territorial defense (Volvaka, 1995)
Effect of stress induced by foot shocks and of the intraspecific aggressive response in White blood cells (WBC)
Effect of stress induced by foot shocks and of the intraspecific aggressive response in leukocyte subsets
Summary
Aggressiveness is crucial to survival, because aggressive behavior guarantees access to food, reproduction, protection of the young, and capacity to confront predators and act in territorial defense (Volvaka, 1995). The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) constitutes one of the fundamental elements of the mammalian adaptive response in encounters with the majority of threatening situations (Castelnau & Lôo, 1993). The HPA involvement, along with that of other elements participating in the response to stress, e.g., the sympathetic nervous system (Sgoifo et al, 1996; Lawrence & Kim, 2000), is an intimate one. Intraspecific aggressiveness can be induced through painful electric foot-shocks (Eichelman, 1990; Manhães de Castro et al, 2001). This kind of electric stimulus is a typical neurogenic stressor (Sawchenko & Ericsson, 2000), which activates the HPA axis as well as the sympathetic-adrenal system
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