Early-Life Maternal Deprivation Predicts Stronger Sickness Behaviour and Reduced Immune Responses to Acute Endotoxaemia in a Pig Model.

ABSTRACT: Early-life adversity may have programming effects on neuroendocrine and immune adaptation mechanisms in humans and socially living animals. Using a pig model, we investigated the effect of daily 2-h maternal and littermate deprivation from postnatal days 2-15, either alone (DA) or in a group of littermates (DG) on the neuroendocrine, immunological and behavioural responses of piglets challenged with the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on day 42. LPS increased plasma concentrations of cortisol, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) and induced typical signs of sickness in all piglets. DA+DG piglets showed stronger signs of sickness compared to control (C) piglets. Plasma TNF-α concentrations were significantly lower in DA+DG males

SUBMITTER: Bruckmann R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7432595 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature