Stress-induced suppression of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in the rat

Numerous experiments have demonstrated that physical stress can alter immunological parameters. However, little attention has been paid to the interrelationship between stress and autoimmune processes. The present study was designed to determine the influence of electric shock and sound stress on the development of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Ten-week-old male DA rats highly susceptible to EAE were used. Rats were subjected to the stress procedure during 19 days either before or after immunization with intradermal injection of 0.1 ml of an emulsion containing guinea pig spinal cord (20 mg/rat) in an equal volume of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). In addition, rats received subcutaneous injection of Bordetella pertussis in the dorsum of the same foot. Electric stress procedure consisted of 80 inescapable, unpredictable tail shocks (5 s, 1 mA) delivered at the same time each day. Sound stress procedure consisted of exposure of rats to a 90 dB fire alarm bell which rings 60 times for 5 s during one hour, at the same time of the day. Rats were observed daily for clinical signs of EAE and survived animals were sacrificed on day 20 after immunization. The brain and spinal cord sections were examined histologically for mononuclear cell infiltrates characteristics for EAE. The results clearly indicate that inescapable tail shocks suppressed the appearance and development of EAE when rats were subjected to stress procedure during 19 days after immunization, but not when rats were stressed during 19 day before the induction of EAE. On the other hand, in rats exposed to sound stress there was only delay in the onset of the disease.