Stress induced neuro-endocrine-immune system alteration and its relation with autoimmune/inflammatory diseases: a review

In recent years a novel scientific discipline called psychoneuroimmunology has emerged that examines complex interdependence of the mind, brain, endocrine and immune system in health and disease. Homeostasis (a self-referral phenomenon) plays an important role in keeping a person healthy and it has a fundamental role in host defense. Many studies show that stress (acute or chronic) creates disorder especially in the immune regulation. In this study a typical nervous-endocrine and immune network has been shown in case of stress. From this network Corticotrophin Releasing Factor (CRF), Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone (ACTH), Growth Hormone(GH), prolactin (PRL), Glucocorticoids (GC) and catecholamine are found as important endocrine factors and T cells, B cells, monocytes/macrophages, Natural Killer(NK) cells and their cytokines that is Tumor Necrosis Factor-a (TNF-a), Gamma Interferon (IFN-g) and interleukins such as IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 etc. are found as important immune factors in most stress related studies. Finally, autoimmune/ inflammatory disease is shown in relation to above endocrine and immune factors. In summary, we have demonstrated psychoneuroimmune alteration in stress and its association with autoimmune/inflammatory disease. The present study suggests the importance of restoring self-referral organization in the body.