Degree Name

MS (Master of Science)

Program

Biology

Date of Award

12-2010

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Deling Yin

Committee Members

Victoria P. Ramsauer

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of chronic stress on mucin expression in the GIT of mice. Sixteen ICR male mice were randomly divided into treated and control animals. Restraint stress was applied to the treated group for 21 days. Body weight (BW) changes and feed consumed (FC) were regularly recorded. After 21 days mice were euthanized and blood, GIT mucosa, and GIT sections were collected. Serum corticosterone levels were determined. The GIT sections were fixed, paraffin embedded, sectioned, and stained with AB-PAS to visualize goblet cells. Mucin expression was determined using qPCR. As expected stressed mice showed higher corticosterone than the control animals. BW decreased in the stressed group. Histology showed a decrease in goblet cells in stressed mice. Muc1 and Muc4 in the colon and Muc3 in the duodenum were upregulated in stressed animals. These findings suggest that chronic stress may affect mucin expression in the GIT.

Document Type

Thesis - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

Included in

Biology Commons

Share

COinS