The temporal effects of stress on wound healing patterns
Open Access
Author:
Shaw, Marlisa Ja
Area of Honors:
Biology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Christopher Gerald Engeland, Thesis Supervisor Stephen Wade Schaeffer, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Stress Wound Healing Restraint Model Isolation Model Social Stress Nonsocial Stress
Abstract:
Stress is the process through which environmental demands exceed an individual's perceived ability to cope, thereby resulting in affective, behavioral, and physiological changes. When approached with chronic social or nonsocial stressors one’s immune system becomes impaired and its healing ability becomes compromised. This study aims to address the temporal effects of stress and compare the isolation model (social stressor) to the restraint model (nonsocial stressor). Female mice were subjected to stress before, after, or both (before and after) wounding. The results indicate that the temporal presentation of stress influences the degree to which wound healing rates are impaired. In conclusion, the results suggest the reduction of nonsocial stress post-operation and social stress before and after wounding/operation would improve wound healing patterns. Thus, reducing stress in these manners may lead to improvements in clinical outcomes, such as with patients that have experienced surgery, biopsies, and any skin abrasions.
