Acute psychosocial stress differentially influences salivary endocrine and immune measures in undergraduate students

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.09.003

Physiology & Behavior

Volume 107, Issue 3, 10 October 2012, Pages 317-321

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.09.003 Get rights and content

Abstract

Undergraduate students routinely experience acute psychosocial stress when interviewing for post-collegiate employment. While numerous studies have demonstrated that acute stress can increase release of immune-relevant molecules in blood, fewer studies have examined if acute stress also increases immune-relevant molecules into saliva. Saliva, and the biomolecules found in saliva often serve important immune defense roles and can be used to non-invasively screen for many systemic diseases. Therefore, the current study examined saliva concentrations of endocrine and immune molecules following exposure to an acute psychosocial stressor (mock job interview) in undergraduates. Heart rate, blood pressure, salivary cortisol, salivary immunoglobulin-A (S-IgA), and salivary C-reactive protein (S-CRP) were compared in healthy college undergraduates (n = 15) before and after completion of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). The TSST induced significant increases in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and salivary cortisol. Additional analyses revealed a non-significant (p = 0.1) increase in the level of S-IgA following the TSST. A significant decrease in S-IgA was observed during the recovery period. No change in S-CRP was observed following the TSST. These results suggest that acute stress experienced by undergraduates when interviewing for a job activates the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and that cortisol levels increase in saliva. Stress-induced elevations in cortisol might be responsible for the decreased S-IgA observed following the recovery period. Collectively, these data provide further insight into the interaction between psychosocial stress, endocrine, and immune functioning.

Highlights

► Saliva endocrine and immune molecules were measured in undergrads. ► Subjects were exposed to an acute psychosocial stressor. ► Stress elevated heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and salivary cortisol. ► Stress reduced salivary IgA and but did not change salivary CRP. ► Stress differentially impacted salivary endocrine and immune measures.

Introduction

Job interviews are commonly reported to be stressful experiences for job applicants. Indeed, several studies demonstrate a mock job interview in a laboratory setting (the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST)) results in stress-induced activation of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA-axis), the sympathetic nervous system (SSS), and pro-inflammatory cytokine production [1]. While it is clear that activation of the stress response can have significant effects on memory, attention, and executive functions [2], [3], [4], [5], it is less clear how this acute stress response might influence physical health. Acute stress experienced at the time of immune activation induces a redistribution of circulating immune cells to organs like the skin, subcutaneous tissues, and sentinel lymph nodes [6], [7], [8], increases leukocyte trafficking to sites of wounding or infection [9], [10], and enhances innate and adaptive immune responses [11], [12], [13]. However, in the absence of a need for an immune response (i.e., absence of a pathogen), or when the stress response cannot be adequately turned-off, psychosocial stress can have detrimental effects. For example, numerous studies indicate that exposure to chronic stress can suppress immune function and increase susceptibility to some forms of infection [14], [15], cancer [16], and cardiovascular disease (CVD) [17].

Most studies examining psychosocial stress and immune functioning have focused on blood based markers of immune and endocrine activation [11]. Studies using the TSST, a type of psychosocial stress, have repeatedly demonstrated that this stressor increases serum pro-inflammatory cytokines and cortisol [1]. However, biomolecules found in saliva also serve important roles in host defense. For example, salivary immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) reduces bacterial adherence to mouth surfaces (e.g., teeth, tongue, mouth wall), one of the first steps that may lead to infection [18]. In addition, S-IgA supports bacterial aggregation [19], which prevents bacteria from propagating and adhering to mouth surfaces thereby increasing the elimination of infectious agents [18], [20], [21]. Moreover, saliva has gained significant interest as a cost effective and non-invasive diagnostic tool to screen for a number of systemic diseases [18]. C-reactive protein (CRP) in saliva, for example, may reflect low-grade inflammation and have potential to serve as a screen for CVD risk status [22]. The literature examining the impact on salivary biomolecules is unclear as different studies have demonstrated increases [23], decreases [24], and no change [25], [26] in S-IgA following exposure to acute stress.

In the current study, we examined changes in saliva concentrations of cortisol, IgA and CRP following exposure to the TSST in healthy college undergraduates. Based on previous studies examining blood based changes in these molecules, we hypothesized that acute psychosocial stress would result in an increase in salivary concentrations of cortisol, IgA and CRP. Improving our understanding of the acute effects of psychosocial stress on mucosal immunity can further elucidate mechanisms of stress-induced modulation of immune function.

Section snippets

Participants

Participants were college undergraduates (n = 15; 4 men and 11 women) at Merrimack College, aged 18–22 years who responded to in-class recruitment solicitations and were offered extra credit in one of their classes for participation. All reported no chronic or acute illness (including periodontal disease), no regular medication regimen (with the exception of birth control), and good health prior to study onset. All procedures were approved by the Merrimack College Institution Review Board.

Procedures

All

Hemodynamic responses

Consistent with previous reports [1], the TSST resulted in increases in heart rate (Fig. 1A) and systolic blood pressure (Fig. 1B) (no change in diastolic blood pressure; data not shown). Exposure to the TSST caused a reliable increase in heart rate over time (Fig. 1A, F(2,42) = 7.9, p = 0.001). Post hoc analyses demonstrated that heart rate increased immediately following TSST compared to baseline values (p = 0.002), and returned to resting values within 30 min of termination of the stressor.

Discussion

College undergraduates approaching graduation are faced with many stressors. One such stressor is the process of attempting to secure employment. This process typically includes in-person interviews and interviewees routinely perceive job interviews to be stressful and experience in vivo stress responses such as hyperthermia [28], [29]. In addition, mock job interviews in a laboratory setting (using the TSST) routinely demonstrate that the act of interviewing activates the physiological stress

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Acknowledgments

We thank our subjects for volunteering for this experiment.

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Mucosal secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) is an antibody protein-complex that plays a crucial role in immune first defense against infection. Although different immune biomarkers have been associated with stress-related psychopathology, s-IgA remains poorly studied, especially in youth.
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