CHANGES OF IMMUNOREGULATORY CELLS INDUCED BY PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL STRESS - RELATIONSHIP TO PLASMA-CATECHOLAMINES

Abstract

Lymphocyte subpopulations were measured before and after physical and psychological stress in 15 healthy subjects and correlated with plasma catecholamine and cortisol levels. During psychological stress monocytes (P < 0.05), NK [natural killer] cells (P < 0.01), B cells (P < 0.05) and heart rate (P < 0.001) increased, while catecholamines remained unchanged. With physical stress granulocytes, monocytes and all lymphocyte subsets increased significantly, although B cells rose more than T cells and T (suppressor) cells more than T (helper) cells. Thus, the ratio of T/B cells and of Th/Ts [T helper/T suppressor] cells decreased (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01). Adrenaline [epinephrine] and noradrenaline [norepinephrine] concentrations increased (P < 0.001); cortisol remained unchanged. There was a negative relationship between adrenaline and the Th/Ts cell ratio before and after stress (P < 0.05). Lymphocyte subpopulations from a different group of 4 healthy subjects were analyzed before and after isoproterenol infusion. There was a small increase in Ts and B cells only (P < 0.01) and a decrease of the T/B cell ratio (P < 0.05). The predominant enrichment of circulating B, Ts and NK cells during short lasting adrenergic activation, as well as the relationship of the T cell changes to plasma adrenaline, suggest an immunoregulatory effect of the sympathetic nervous system in stress.