Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Kinesiology

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Stress induces multifaceted physiologic responses and alters a host of immune components, ranging from soluble immune factors to immune cells. These responses regulate the inflammatory environment and systemic immunity to protect against pathogens and tumors. When the immune responses to these stressors are dysregulated, pathological conditions may arise, threatening overall health. However, it remains unclear whether pathological conditions are an extension of extreme stress responses that can be differentiated from well-regulated stress-induced responses. While neutrophils are assumed to mediate stress responses, their responses to various stressors have not yet been clearly addressed. Therefore, this dissertation aims to examine the effects of different types of physical and psychological stress on soluble immune biomarkers and cellular immunity in health and disease and further investigate neutrophil responses in a disease model. The first study investigated the effects of allostatic load during a season on T cell mobilization and the secretion rates of immune-related biomarkers to acute exercise in female collegiate-student athletes. This study showed consistent T cell redistribution and the secretion rates of immune-related biomarkers throughout the season. However, acute exercise independently changed T cell redistribution and biomarker secretion rates, while measures of psychological stress were associated with biomarker secretion rates. The second study assessed the effects of regular exercise on inflammatory biomarkers in patients with type 2 diabetes. This study, published in Frontiers in Physiology (2024), demonstrated that regular exercise prevented the accumulation of free light chains, and that this effect was related to improvements in body composition. The final study examined the effects of acute exercise and sepsis on neutrophil phenotypes, antimicrobial functions, and biophysical properties. This study found that acute exercise promoted neutrophil morphological changes while maintaining antimicrobial functions, whereas sepsis altered neutrophil structural properties and impaired antimicrobial function. These findings indicate that neutrophil responses are stressor specific. Overall, our studies identified that stress promotes immune regulation and different immunological outcomes based on stress characteristics and across various populations in health and disease. This dissertation advances our knowledge of immune responses in health and disease and contributes to a more comprehensive perspective on immune responses.

Date

7-15-2026

Committee Chair

Spielmann, Guillaume

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

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