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
Recommended Citation
Habiyambere, Bupe Martha, "Effect of Stress on Mucin Expression in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Mice." (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2253. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2253
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.