Abstract
Young adult rats exposed to a 1 hr feeding schedule in activity-wheel cages daily, show immunological incompetence and stomach ulcer. This stress procedure is called “activity-stress (AS)”. The present study examined the effects of neurotropin (NSP), which is an extract from rabbit skin tissues inflamed with vaccinia virus, on the immunosuppression and stomach ulcer induced by AS. The i.p. treated NSP showed a significant immunopotentiation effect (50 and 100 mg/kg), but did not significantly prevent the ulceration, although i.p. treated NSP decreased the incidence of ulcer. The p.o. treated NSP revealed both immunopotentiation (50 and 100 mg/kg) and antiulcerogenic effects (100 mg/kg). However, the i.p. treatment of NSP seems to prevent atrophy of the thymus and spleen, but did not improve hypertrophy of the adrenals induced by AS. The p.o. treated NSP improved atrophy of the spleen and hypertrophy of the adrenals, but did not improve atrophy of the thymus. Since immunodeficiency and ulcer-production by AS are considered to be phenomena appearing in the exhaustion stage of the organism, the present study suggests that NSP can heal immunological incompetence and stomach-ulcer induced by stress. In addition, the present study discussed the different pharmacological activities of NSP based on differences between administration routes.
