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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a particular psychological
stress, exposure to an open-field, on plasma IL-6 activity in rats. Plasma IL-6 activity
was 40.6 +/- 7.2 units/ml in control rats, 105 +/- 6.8 units/ml after 30 minutes exposure
to an open-field, and 221 +/- 17 units/ml after 60 minutes of exposure (p = 0.0003).
There was a positive correlation (r = .71, p = 0.043) between the change in plasma
IL-6 activity and body temperature. However, we conclude, based on earlier data relating
plasma IL-6 activity to body temperature changes following injection of lipopolysaccharide,
that the plasma levels of IL-6 following exposure to an open-field are not high enough
to account for the rise in body temperature observed in rats during this stress. In
conclusion, these experiments indicate that exposure to psychological stress can elevate
the plasma concentration of IL-6, a known mediator of the acute phase response.