Seasonal dependency of the effects of experimental stressors on tumor metastasis in mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma

Increasing evidence indicates that the application of stressor paradigms in experimental animals affects tumor incidence and progression. However, a high heterogeneity appears both for the animal-tumor system used and for the characteristics of the stressor employed. A high variability was observed also with the application of rotational stress, a carefully and widely characterized mild psychological stressor, to mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma. The aim of this work has been therefore to examine the possible seasonal dependency of the effects of experimental stressors (rotational stress, forced immobilization and electric foot shock) on spontaneous lung metastasis formation in mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma. The possible participation of pineal gland and of melatonin have also been examined including in the experimental protocol the measurement of melatonin urinary excretion. The stressor paradigms used significantly increased metastasis weight in spring, in comparison with non-stressed animals. When examined in winter, rotational stress and foot shock significantly decreased metastasis formation, in comparison with non-stressed mice. The effects of forced immobilization were not season-dependent. The melatonin urinary excretion has been measured in relation to the seasonal effects of rotational stress. Nocturnal melatonin excretion is markedly increased by rotational stress in spring and is remarkably decreased in winter. These variations in endogenous melatonin levels caused by rotational stress appear to directly correlate with the effects of the stressor or metastasis. These results lend support to the view that the mechanisms underlying the tumor enhancing action of stressors involve the psychoneuroendocrine network, and indicate the relevance of chronobiology in experimental cancer research and neuro-immuno-modulation.