Stress-Induced Rise in Serum Anti-Brain Autoantibody Levels in the Rat

Abstract

Sera from Wistar rats subjected to different stress procedures were tested by ELISA for the presence of autoantibodies with specificity for neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S100 protein that are preferentially localized in neurons and glia, respectively. Autoantibodies were present in sera ol animals before exposure to stress, and raised with age. Anti-NSE and anti-SlOO autoantibody levels were increased one day after termination of restraint (2 hours daily, 10 days) and electric tail shock (80 shocks daily, 19 days), and in fifth and tenth week of overcrowding stress. Differences between stressed and control animals were not present one month following restraint and electric tail shock and in twentieth week of overcrowding.

Key Words:

• Stress
• restraint
• electric tail shock
• overcrowding
• isolation
• S-100
• neuron-specific enolase
• anti-brain autoantibodies
• rat