Research abstract (provisional)
Background
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a neuroimmunoendocrine disease affecting about 1% of the US population, mostly women. It is characterized by debilitating fatigue for six or more months in the absence of cancer or other systemic diseases.
Many CFS patients also have fibromyalgia and skin hypersensitivity that worsen with stress. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and neurotensin (NT), secreted under stress, activate mast cells (MC) necessary for allergic reactions to release inflammatory mediators that could contribute to CFS symptoms.
Objective
To investigate the effect of isoflavones on the action of polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)), with or without swim stress, on mouse locomotor activity and inflammatory mediator expression, as well as on human MC activation.
Methods
Female C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups: (a) control/no-swim, (b) control/swim, (c) poly(I:C)/no swim, and (d) poly(I:C)/swim. Mice were provided with chow low or high in isoflavones for 2?weeks prior to ip injection with 20?mg/kg poly(I:C) followed or not by swim stress for 15?minutes.
Locomotor activity was monitored overnight and animals were sacrificed the following day. Brain and skin gene expression, as well as serum levels, of inflammatory mediators were measured. Data were analyzed using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test.
Results
Poly(I:C)-treated mice had decreased locomotor activity over 24? hours, and increased serum levels of TNF-?, IL-6, KC (IL-8/CXCL8 murine homolog), CCL2,3,4,5, CXCL10, as well as brain and skin gene expression of TNF, IL-6, KC (Cxcl1, IL8 murine homolog), CCL2, CCL4, CCL5 and CXCL10. Histidine decarboxylase (HDC) and NT expression were also increased, but only in the skin, over the same period. High isoflavone diet reversed these effects.
Conclusion
Poly(I:C) treatment decreased mouse locomotor activity and increased serum levels and brain and skin gene expression of inflammatory mediators. These effects were inhibited by isoflavones that may prove useful in CFS.
Isoflavones inhibit poly(I:C)-induced serum, brain, and skin inflammatory mediators – relevance to chronic fatigue syndrome, by Magdalini Vasiadi, Jennifer Newman and Theoharis C Theoharides in Journal of Neuroinflammation 2014, 11:168 Published: 31 October 2014
The complete article is available as a provisional PDF. The fully formatted PDF and HTML versions are in production.
NB Isoflavones are found abundantly in soy products. Much controversy surrounds consumption of high levels of isoflavones, as the efficacy and safety of soy isoflavones have not yet been established. But foods that contain isoflavones are beneficial as they are high in polyunsaturated fat, fibre, vitamins and minerals.
