Underlying inflammation has no impact on the oxidative stress response to acute mental stress

Alex J Wadley; Jet J C S Veldhuijzen van Zanten; Nicola J Paine; Mark T Drayson; Sarah Aldred

doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2014.03.009

Underlying inflammation has no impact on the oxidative stress response to acute mental stress

Brain Behav Immun. 2014 Aug:40:182-90. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2014.03.009. Epub 2014 Mar 24.

Authors

Alex J Wadley¹, Jet J C S Veldhuijzen van Zanten², Nicola J Paine³, Mark T Drayson⁴, Sarah Aldred⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK(2); School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK.
² School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK(2).
³ School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK(2); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Duke University Medical Centre, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
⁴ School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK(2); MRC Centre for Immune Regulation, School of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
⁵ School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK(2). Electronic address: s.aldred.1@bham.ac.uk.

PMID: 24675034
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2014.03.009

Abstract

Introduction: Mental stress is considered to be a trigger for acute myocardial infarction (MI), with inflammation thought to provide a mechanism. Inflammation is reciprocally linked to oxidative stress, which has also been implicated in MI. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of experimentally-induced inflammation on the oxidative stress response to mental stress in healthy participants.

Methods: Healthy males undertook one of two inflammatory stimuli: typhoid vaccination (Vaccination paradigm, N=17) or eccentric exercise (Eccentric exercise paradigm, N=17). All participants completed a mental arithmetic stress task twice (within-subject design): 6h after the inflammatory stimulus, and during a control non-inflammation condition. Blood samples were taken before, immediately and 30min after the stress task. Plasma was assessed for interleukin-6 (IL-6), protein carbonyls (PC), lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and nitric oxide metabolites (NOx).

Results: Vaccination paradigm: IL-6, PC and NOx were significantly higher in the vaccination condition, relative to the control condition (p<.05). PC, TAC, LOOH and NOx were unchanged in response to mental stress in both the vaccination and control conditions. Eccentric Exercise paradigm: IL-6 and TAC were significantly higher in the eccentric exercise condition (p<.05), relative to the control condition. PC, TAC and NOx were unchanged in response to mental stress in both the eccentric exercise and control conditions.

Conclusions: Two different inflammatory paradigms were successful in increasing selective plasma markers of inflammation and oxidative stress prior to a mental stress task. However, experimentally induced transient inflammation had no impact on mental stress-induced changes in plasma LOOH, PC, TAC or NOx in young healthy participants.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Cytokine; Myocardial infarction; Oxidative stress; Psychological stress.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Blood Pressure
Exercise / physiology
Heart Rate
Humans
Inflammation / blood*
Interleukin-6 / blood
Leukocyte Count
Male
Oxidative Stress*
Stress, Physiological*
Stress, Psychological / immunology*
Typhoid-Paratyphoid Vaccines / toxicity
Young Adult

Substances

Interleukin-6
Typhoid-Paratyphoid Vaccines