The relationship between the variants of immune response and the cortisol and adrenaline levels associated with cooling

Abstract

The development of adaptive response to cold exposure is associated with the increased synthesis of the adrenal hormones involved in regulation of the immunocompetent cells’ functional and metabolic activity. Even people residing permanently in the North show different variants of response to cold. The study was aimed to determine the relationship between the baseline cortisol and adrenaline levels, as well as the changes in their concentrations associated with the adaptive immune response to whole body cooling. A total of 173 individuals were assessed before and after the short-term whole body cooling. White blood cell differential, cortisol, adrenaline and ferritin levels, and the presence of glycogen in lymphocytes were determined in peripheral blood. Three variants of response were defined: 1) the relatively low baseline levels of cortisol and adrenaline together with no increase in these levels after the cold exposure have no significant effect on the lymphocyte migration activity; 2) predominant activation of the sympathetic–adrenal–medullary axis is associated with lymphocyte mobilization into the bloodstream along with the decrease in their glycolytic activity; 3) the higher baseline levels of cortisol and further increase in its concentration until it reaches the upper limit of the normal range following cooling are associated with intensification of glycolisis in lymphocytes and the increase of lymphocyte migration to the tissues.