Acute Stress Elicited by Bungee Jumping Suppresses Human Innate Immunity

Abstract

Although a relation between diminished human immunity and stress is well recognized both within the general public and the scientific literature, the molecular mechanisms by which stress alters immunity remain poorly understood. We explored a novel model for acute human stress involving volunteers performing a first-time bungee jump from an altitude of 60 m and exploited this model to characterize the effects of acute stress in the peripheral blood compartment. Twenty volunteers were included in the study; half of this group was pretreated for 3 d with the β-receptor blocking agent propranolol. Blood was drawn 2 h before, right before, immediately after and 2 h after the jump. Plasma catecholamine and cortisol levels increased significantly during jumping, which was accompanied by significantly reduced ex vivo inducibility of proinflammatory cytokines as well as activation of coagulation and vascular endothelium. Kinome profiles obtained from the peripheral blood leukocyte fraction contained a strong noncanonical glucocorticoid receptor signal transduction signature after jumping. In apparent agreement, jumping downregulated Lck/Fyn and cellular innate immune effector function (phagocytosis). Pretreatment of volunteers with propranolol abolished the effects of jumping on coagulation and endothelial activation but left the inhibitory effects on innate immune function intact. Taken together, these results indicate that bungee jumping leads to a catecholamine-independent immune suppressive phenotype and implicate noncanonical glucocorticoid receptor signal transduction as a major pathway linking human stress to impaired functioning of the human innate immune system.

Dynamics of salivary proteins and metabolites during extreme endurance sports – a case study

“…The long‐term endurance work resulted in two major effects on the salivary protein pool in both athletes. First, the decrease of immune response proteins (Table ), reflecting the increase in cortisol to androstenedione ratio in the early stress phase, with cortisol having suppressive effects on the immune system . Second, the overrepresentation of proteins with functions in redox regulation (Table ) during the stress phase.…”

The emotional stress and risk of ischemic stroke

“…Another potential pathomechanism linking the acute stress and cerebrovascular episode may be an altering of the immune system. In an experimental study of bungee jumping it has been shown that such a stressful situation significantly increases leukocyte counts, chemokine interleukin-8, proinflammatory cytokine Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNFalpha) with unaltered induction of the anti-inflammatory cytokine Il-10 [33]. On the other hand an increased level of cortisol, an immunosuppressive hormone, is observed as a response to stress [34].…”

High heart rate reactors display greater decreases in tear SIgA concentration following a novel acute stressor

“…These activities increase state anxiety (Hare, Wetherell, & Smith, 2013), activate sympathoadrenalmedullary and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress responses (Chatterton, Vogelsong, Lu, & Hudgens, 1997). Acute experiential stress may acutely activate cellular immune parameters, for example by mobilising NK cells (Schedlowski et al, 1993); a finding that has been mirrored in numerous studies employing acute laboratory-based stressors (Segerstrom & Miller, 2004), but may also inhibit innate immune function (van Westerloo et al, 2011).…”

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