Effect of stress induced by expsoure to short and long term foot shock on liver, spleen and kidney in aged mice

Introduction: Stress affects the central nervous system leading indirectly to modulation of the activity of steroid, catecholamine and opioid systems. It also affects behaviour, immune system, cardiovascular responses and gastrointestinal tract. In response to stress, a cascade of neurohumoral events chiefly at the level of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, is triggered, the result of which is the termination of stress reaction leading to normalization.During Induction of stress hormone epinephrine concentration increases many times in the body. Methods: In the present study short term (5 days) and long term (21 days) foot shock stress was given to Albino mice of old age of BALB C strain (481 days old) to see any the histological changes in liver, spleen and kidney. Results: Mice subjected to long term stress showed in liver vacuolization, elongation of nucleus of hepatic cells and infiltration. While in kidney dilated Bowman's capsule, frequent vacuolization in renal cortex, degeneration of cells of proximal convoluted tubule, whereas in spleen there was increase in size of the follicles and red pulp morphology of parenchyma (increase in red pulp). Discussion: Thus it is concluded from the entire study that long term stress causes degeneration in hepatic cells, infiltration in liver, degeneration of glomerulus, bowman's capsule, convoluted tubules in kidney which finally leading to both hepato-toxicity and nephro-toxicity. In spleen long term stress alters the immune response in Old age Albino Mice by inducing morphology changes, explaining in part the indicating impaired immunity that develops in organisms that are exposed to chronic stress.