Abstract

MAST CELL IN AMYGDALE, THALAMUS, HIPPOCAMPUS OF WISTAR RATS AND ITS CORRELATION WITH CORTICOTROPIN-RELEASING HORMONE (CRH) PLASMA LEVEL AND LENGTH OF ACUTE STRESS EXPOSURE

Objective: Stress increases CRH level in the blood, which then affects the mast cell’s number and function. This study aims to determine whether there is a correlation between the lengths of exposure and changes in the level of CRH and the existence and the activity of the mast cells in the area of amygdale, thalamus and hippocampus in rats exposed to acute stress. Methods: Sixteen rats were divided randomly; 4 in the control group and 12 in the exploratory group. The latter were then equally divided into 3 experimental groups, each consisting of 4 subjects. Each of the 12 rats that belonged to the 3 experimental groups was exposed to stress using the psychological stress device for three different lengths of time; 30, 60, and 90 minutes. The CRH plasma was then examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), mast cells in amygdale, thalamus and hippocampus using the light microscope. Results: There was no significant difference in the number of mast cells, but the ones in the thalamus tended to increase (p = 0.092), compared to the amygdale (p = 0.269) and hippocampus (p = 0.117), in line with the length of the treatment, amygdale (r=0,291, P=0,274), hippocampus (r=-0.250, p=0.350), thalamus (r=0.619, p=0.11) in the response to stress level. Conclusions: There was a significant correlation between the lengths of exposure, the level of CRH with the number of mast cells in the thalamus, but there was no correlation both in amygdale or hippocampus.

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