Acute psychological stress promotes skin healing in mice Bashny.Net

University of California researchers found that naturally occurring steroids, which damage skin during prolonged stress, may be useful for more than short periods.

U.S. researchers have found that brief, acute psychological stress promotes healing in mice with three different skin irritations. Healing was caused by anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids — steroid hormones that are produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress.





Peter Elias said: "chronic stress, these natural steroids harm the protective function of the skin and inhibit wound healing, but during shorter intervals of stress, they are beneficial for inflammatory disorders and acute damage in mice and men." the scientist added: "We believe that our findings explain why these harmful components of the stress response has been preserved during human evolution".

Scientists studied mouse models of three common types of skin irritation: contact dermatitis caused by exposure to a stimulus, such as a soap or solvent; acute allergic contact dermatitis like caused by poison ivy or poison oak; and atopic dermatitis or eczema.

After exposure to irritants on a small patch of skin of the ear, one group of mice was returned to the cells, and the other was put in a stressful situation: the premises are in very small enclosures for 18 hours a day for four days.

The researchers found that the second part of the rodents showed significantly less inflammation and faster healing in all three types of skin irritation.

The results provide the key to an evolutionary puzzle: why, over millions of years, humans have preserved the tendency to produce steroids under stress. Previous studies have shown that prolonged exposure to steroids harms the structure and function of the skin and other organs.

Elias notes: "Our ancestors did not have the Arsenal of pharmaceutical steroids to treat acute illnesses or injuries. It is a safe, effective internal anti-inflammatory system provides the correct amount of steroids to promote healing, over a time period which is too short to cause harm".

The scientist stressed that the results assume the use of such treatment to humans. Nevertheless, he contrasted the "substantial benefits" from a moderate increase in the level of glucocorticoids due to short-term stress with the "side effects that we see too often" with steroid therapy.

Source: nauka24news.ru/