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Updated: Mar 25, 2026
Restraint to Induce Stress in Mice and Rats
Published on: December 6, 2024
Neuropeptidase activities in plasma after acute restraint stress. Interaction with cortico-limbic areas
Ana Belén Segarra1, Joaquín Hernández1, Isabel Prieto1
11Unit of Physiology,University of Jaén,Jaén,Spain.
Objective:
To evaluate the influence of acute restraint stress (ARS) on plasma enkephalinase and oxytocinase activities. ARS modifies basal activities in cortico-limbic regions of rats and induces changes in the correlations observed between these regions. The interactions between plasma and cortico-limbic activities will be also evaluated.
Methods:
Enkephalinase (AlaAP and LeuAP) and oxytocinase (P-LeuAP) activities were fluorometrically determined in plasma of control and stressed rats using aminoacyl-β-naphthylamides (aaNNap), AlaNNap and LeuNNap as substrates.
Results:
No differences in enzymatic activities were observed between control and stressed animals in plasma. In contrast, highly significant positive and negative correlations between plasma and cortico-limbic regions were demonstrated in controls. Stress conditions significantly alter the pattern of these correlations.
Conclusion:
The present results clearly support a connection between plasma and brain involving certain neuropeptidase activities that change under stress conditions.
