1
|
Bell RL, Withers GS, Kuypers FA, Stehr W, Bhargava A. Stress and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) promote necrotizing enterocolitis in a formula-fed neonatal rat model. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0246412. [PMID: 34111125 PMCID: PMC8191945 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The etiology of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is not known. Alterations in gut microbiome, mucosal barrier function, immune cell activation, and blood flow are characterized events in its development, with stress as a contributing factor. The hormone corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a key mediator of stress responses and influences these aforementioned processes. CRF signaling is modulated by NEC's main risk factors of prematurity and formula feeding. Using an established neonatal rat model of NEC, we tested hypotheses that: (i) increased CRF levels-as seen during stress-promote NEC in formula-fed (FF) newborn rats, and (ii) antagonism of CRF action ameliorates NEC. Newborn pups were formula-fed to initiate gut inflammation and randomized to: no stress, no stress with subcutaneous CRF administration, stress (acute hypoxia followed by cold exposure-NEC model), or stress after pretreatment with the CRF peptide antagonist Astressin. Dam-fed unstressed and stressed littermates served as controls. NEC incidence and severity in the terminal ileum were determined using a histologic scoring system. Changes in CRF, CRF receptor (CRFRs), and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression levels were determined by immunofluorescence and immunoblotting, respectively. Stress exposure in FF neonates resulted in 40.0% NEC incidence, whereas exogenous CRF administration resulted in 51.7% NEC incidence compared to 8.7% in FF non-stressed neonates (p<0.001). Astressin prevented development of NEC in FF-stressed neonates (7.7% vs. 40.0%; p = 0.003). CRF and CRFR immunoreactivity increased in the ileum of neonates with NEC compared to dam-fed controls or FF unstressed pups. Immunoblotting confirmed increased TLR4 protein levels in FF stressed (NEC model) animals vs. controls, and Astressin treatment restored TLR4 to control levels. Peripheral CRF may serve as specific pharmacologic target for the prevention and treatment of NEC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert L. Bell
- East Bay Surgery Program, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Benioff Children’s Hospital, Oakland, California, United States of America
- Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, California, United States of America
- The Permanente Medical Group, Department of Surgery, Walnut Creek, California, United States of America
| | - Ginger S. Withers
- Department of Biology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington, United States of America
| | - Frans A. Kuypers
- Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, California, United States of America
- UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, Oakland, California, United States of America
| | - Wolfgang Stehr
- Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, California, United States of America
- UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, Oakland, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (AB); (WS)
| | - Aditi Bhargava
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (AB); (WS)
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Creekmore AL, Hong S, Zhu S, Xue J, Wiley JW. Chronic stress-associated visceral hyperalgesia correlates with severity of intestinal barrier dysfunction. Pain 2018; 159:1777-1789. [PMID: 29912860 PMCID: PMC6097612 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In humans, chronic psychological stress is associated with increased intestinal paracellular permeability and visceral hyperalgesia, which is recapitulated in the chronic intermittent water avoidance stress (WAS) rat model. However, it is unknown whether enhanced visceral pain and permeability are intrinsically linked and correlate. Treatment of rats with lubiprostone during WAS significantly reduced WAS-induced changes in intestinal epithelial paracellular permeability and visceral hyperalgesia in a subpopulation of rats. Lubiprostone also prevented WAS-induced decreases in the epithelial tight junction protein, occludin (Ocln). To address the question of whether the magnitude of visceral pain correlates with the extent of altered intestinal permeability, we measured both end points in the same animal because of well-described individual differences in pain response. Our studies demonstrate that visceral pain and increased colon permeability positively correlate (0.6008, P = 0.0084). Finally, exposure of the distal colon in control animals to Ocln siRNA in vivo revealed that knockdown of Ocln protein inversely correlated with increased paracellular permeability and enhanced visceral pain similar to the levels observed in WAS-responsive rats. These data support that Ocln plays a potentially significant role in the development of stress-induced increased colon permeability. We believe this is the first demonstration that the level of chronic stress-associated visceral hyperalgesia directly correlates with the magnitude of altered colon epithelial paracellular permeability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - John W. Wiley
- Corresponding Author: John W Wiley, MD, University of Michigan Medical School, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, 9301A MSRB III, Ann Arbor MI 48109-5648, 734-615-6621,
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Yamada C, Mogami S, Hattori T. Psychological stress exposure to aged mice causes abnormal feeding patterns with changes in the bout number. Aging (Albany NY) 2017; 9:2269-2287. [PMID: 29129830 PMCID: PMC5723686 DOI: 10.18632/aging.101320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Stress responses are affected by aging. However, studies on stress-related changes in feeding patterns with aging subject are minimal. We investigated feeding patterns induced by two psychological stress models, revealing characteristics of stress-induced feeding patterns as “meal” and “bout” (defined as the minimum feeding behavior parameters) in aged mice. Feeding behaviors of C57BL/6J mice were monitored for 24 h by an automatic monitoring device. Novelty stress reduced the meal amount over the 24 h in both young and aged mice, but as a result of a time course study it was persistent in aged mice. In addition, the decreased bout number was more pronounced in aged mice than in young mice. The 24-h meal and bout parameters did not change in either the young or aged mice following water avoidance stress (WAS). However, the meal amount and bout number increased in aged mice for 0–6 h after WAS exposure but remained unchanged in young mice. Our findings suggest that changes in bout number may lead to abnormal stress-related feeding patterns and may be one tool for evaluating eating abnormality in aged mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Yamada
- Tsumura Research Laboratories, Tsumura & Co., Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Sachiko Mogami
- Tsumura Research Laboratories, Tsumura & Co., Ibaraki, Japan
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Traini C, Evangelista S, Girod V, Faussone-Pellegrini MS, Vannucchi MG. Changes of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the colon of rats underwent to the wrap partial restraint stress. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2016; 28:1172-85. [PMID: 26972279 DOI: 10.1111/nmo.12816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal models proposed to reproduce some of the human irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms are based on the hypothesis that psychosocial stressors play a pivotal role in the IBS etio-pathology. We investigated the wrap restraint stress (WRS) model with the aim to analyze the morphological changes of the entire colonic wall of these animals that showed some of the human IBS symptoms such as visceral hypersensitivity. METHODS Male Wistar rats were used and WRS was maintained for 2 h. Abdominal contractions (AC) were recorded in the colon-rectum by balloon distension. Fecal pellets were quantitated. Colonic specimens were examined by routine histology, immunohistochemistry and western blot. KEY RESULTS WRS animals were characterized by: (i) increase in AC number and fecal pellets mean weight; (ii) clusters of mononucleated cells, increase in eosinophilic granulocytes and mast cells in the mucosa; (iii) increase in CGRP-immunoreactive (IR) nerve fibers in the lamina propria; (iv) decrease in myenteric NK1r-IR and nNOS-IR neurons and in submucous nNOS-IR neurons; (v) decrease in SP-IR nerve fibers in the muscle wall; (vi) reduction in S100β-IR glia in the entire colonic wall; (vii) increase in CRF1r-IR myenteric neurons; (viii) no change in ChAT-IR neurons, smooth muscle cells and interstitial cells of Cajal. CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES The present results support the consistency of the WRS as a potential model where part of the human IBS signs and symptoms are reproduced. The changes in glial cells and in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters might represent the substrate for the dysmotility and hypersensitivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Traini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Research Unit of Histology and Embryology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - S Evangelista
- Menarini Ricerche SpA, Preclinical Development, Florence, Italy
| | - V Girod
- Syncrosome, Marseille, France
| | - M S Faussone-Pellegrini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Research Unit of Histology and Embryology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - M G Vannucchi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Research Unit of Histology and Embryology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Crofton EJ, Zhang Y, Green TA. Inoculation stress hypothesis of environmental enrichment. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 49:19-31. [PMID: 25449533 PMCID: PMC4305384 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2014] [Revised: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 11/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
One hallmark of psychiatric conditions is the vast continuum of individual differences in susceptibility vs. resilience resulting from the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. The environmental enrichment paradigm is an animal model that is useful for studying a range of psychiatric conditions, including protective phenotypes in addiction and depression models. The major question is how environmental enrichment, a non-drug and non-surgical manipulation, can produce such robust individual differences in such a wide range of behaviors. This paper draws from a variety of published sources to outline a coherent hypothesis of inoculation stress as a factor producing the protective enrichment phenotypes. The basic tenet suggests that chronic mild stress from living in a complex environment and interacting non-aggressively with conspecifics can inoculate enriched rats against subsequent stressors and/or drugs of abuse. This paper reviews the enrichment phenotypes, mulls the fundamental nature of environmental enrichment vs. isolation, discusses the most appropriate control for environmental enrichment, and challenges the idea that cortisol/corticosterone equals stress. The intent of the inoculation stress hypothesis of environmental enrichment is to provide a scaffold with which to build testable hypotheses for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying these protective phenotypes and thus provide new therapeutic targets to treat psychiatric/neurological conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Crofton
- Center for Addiction Research, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555, United States
| | - Yafang Zhang
- Center for Addiction Research, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555, United States
| | - Thomas A Green
- Center for Addiction Research, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Luo B, Xiang D, Nieman DC, Chen P. The effects of moderate exercise on chronic stress-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction and antimicrobial defense. Brain Behav Immun 2014; 39:99-106. [PMID: 24291325 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2013.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Revised: 10/17/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of moderate exercise on repeated restraint stress (RRS)-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction and explore possible mechanisms in a mouse model. Male Balb/c mice (6weeks) were randomized into 7 groups: CON functioned as controls with no intervention; RRS was subjected to 6h per day RRS for 7 consecutive days; RRS+SWIM received 30min per day of swimming prior to RRS; CON+SWIM only received 30min per day of swimming; and the other groups received one session of 30min swimming prior to sacrifice at 1-, 3- and 6h recovery. Intestinal permeability was quantified with FITC-dextran. Bacterial translocation was determined by quantification of bacterial colony forming units (CFUs) in cultured mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), and with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Antimicrobial related gene expression at baseline and 1h after one session of 30min swimming was tested by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) in small intestinal segments. Protein expression of 5 genes with statistically significant increase was measured at baseline, and 1-, 3- and 6h post-swimming using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Thirty minutes per day of swimming before RRS attenuated bacterial translocations and maintained intestinal permeability. Gene expression and protein levels for four antimicrobial peptides (α-defensin 5, β-defensin 1, RegIIIβ and RegIIIγ) were significantly increased after one 30min swimming session. In conclusion, moderate exercise attenuated chronic stress-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction in mice, possibly due to augmentation of antimicrobial responses in the small intestine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Luo
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Dao Xiang
- Department of Diving Medicine, Naval Medical Research Institute, Shanghai, China; Department of Cell Biology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - David C Nieman
- Human Performance Laboratory, Appalachian State University, North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, NC, United States
| | - Peijie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Jorge E, Vergara P, Martin MT. Ileal inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA expression in response to stress is modified in Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to a previous intestinal inflammation. Stress 2012; 15:62-73. [PMID: 21790346 DOI: 10.3109/10253890.2011.582655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of stress to initiate or reactivate an inflammatory process seems to depend on an individual's susceptibility to stressful stimuli. The aim of this study was to establish whether previous inflammation alters the response to stress in Sprague-Dawley rats, a strain not especially susceptible to stressful stimuli. Stress exposure was performed in rats treated with indomethacin, to induce cyclic intestinal inflammation, during the inactive phase of inflammation. Both control and indomethacin-treated rats submitted to stress showed a decrease in body weight gain and blood leukocyte levels, as well as an increase in fecal pellet output. The increase in intestinal mucosal mast cell count induced by stress was similar in both groups of animals. Moreover, no differences were observed between control and indomethacin-treated rats in the degree of bacterial translocation and myeloperoxidase levels after stress exposure. Despite these similarities, differences between groups were observed in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression. Although ileal iNOS mRNA expression was inhibited in healthy rats submitted to stress, stress failed to modify this parameter in indomethacin-treated rats. As iNOS is another inflammatory marker, our results may allow the possibility that a previous intestinal inflammation could change the intestinal susceptibility to stress. Whether these differences in ileal iNOS expression can be indicative of a possible change in the predisposition to develop an intestinal inflammatory reaction in response to stress in Sprague-Dawley rats remains to be elucidated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Jorge
- Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | | | | |
Collapse
|