Enriched environment enhances NK cell maturation through hypothalamic BDNF in male mice.

ABSTRACT: Macroenvironmental factors, including a patient's physical and social environment, play a role in cancer risk and progression. Our previous preclinical studies have shown that the enriched environment (EE) confers anti-obesity and anti-cancer phenotypes that are associated with enhanced adaptive immunity and are mediated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Natural killer (NK) cells have anti-cancer and anti-viral properties, and their absence or depletion is associated with inferior clinical outcomes. In this study, we investigated the effects of EE on NK cell maturation following their depletion. Mice living in EE displayed a higher proportion of NK cells in the spleen, bone marrow, and blood, compared to those living in the standard environment (SE). EE enhanced NK cell maturati

SUBMITTER: Mansour AG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8212871 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature