Opioid peptides mediate heat stress-induced immunosuppression during pregnancy

The American Journal of Physiology
H NakamuraI Matsuzaki

Abstract

To clarify the involvement of the opioid system in enhanced immunosuppression induced by heat stress during pregnancy, we examined the effects of heat exposure and intraperitoneal administration of opioid receptor antagonist naloxone on beta-endorphin (beta-EP) in blood, pituitary lobes, and placenta as well as splenic natural killer cell activity (NKCA) and placental steroids in pregnant rats at 15-16 days gestation. Two-way analysis of variance revealed significant increases in blood beta-EP induced by heat and naloxone and a significant interaction between heat and naloxone on blood beta-EP and progesterone (P). Whereas heat reduced NKCA, intraperitoneal administration of naloxone reversed it. Significant increases in blood and placental beta-EP induced by both heat and naloxone administration and a significant interaction on blood and placental beta-EP was observed. These results suggest that immunosuppression produced by heat stress during pregnancy is mediated by the opioid system. A positive correlation between beta-EP in blood and placenta during heat and naloxone administration suggests that increased placental beta-EP during heat results in hypersecretion of beta-EP into blood. P increased by heat during pregnancy may...Continue Reading

References

Oct 1, 1992·American Journal of Reproductive Immunology : AJRI·D W Branch
Jan 1, 1992·European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology·R InabaT Moroji
Apr 15, 1991·Cellular Immunology·T AudhyaC S Hollander
Oct 1, 1990·American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology·J Szekeres-BarthoR Kinsky
Aug 1, 1989·The Journal of Endocrinology·D J Sirinathsinghji, R P Heavens
Jan 1, 1989·Advances in Immunology·G Trinchieri
Sep 1, 1988·Annals of Clinical Biochemistry·W A RatcliffeM J Reed
Jan 1, 1987·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·B D Janković, D Marić
Aug 1, 1967·Journal of Reproduction and Fertility·C J Thwaites
Jan 1, 1984·Advances in Immunology·D R JacobyM B Oldstone
Jun 1, 1983·British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology·J P NewnhamL H Rees
Jan 1, 1995·Annual Review of Immunology·R L Wilder
Apr 1, 1995·FASEB Journal : Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology·R J KnappH I Yamamura
Feb 1, 1996·The International Journal of Neuroscience·M CheidoL Devoino

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Cancer Biology: Molecular Imaging

Molecular imaging enables noninvasive imaging of key molecules that are crucial to tumor biology. Discover the latest research in molecular imaging in cancer biology in this feed.