The Effects Of Music Therapy On Immune Functions In Asthma Rats

Objective To investigate the effects of music therapy on morphology and the level of cortisol (CORT), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-1β(IL-1β) in stressed asthma rats, with the purpose of evaluating its protective effects against stress and asthma and analyzing the function and the mechanism in which the emotional factor caused asthmatic attack. This research aims to study the efficacy of immune functions, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses and the role of music therapy which provides a supportive noninvasive means of treatment in adult asthma rats.Methods Thirty-two adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups:the control group, the asthma group, the stressed asthma group and the music group. All animals received ovalbumin (OVA) rejection were exposed to OVA with the exception of the controls. After ovalbumin inhalation completed, for two hours the stressed asthma group and the music group were used a restraint method to produce the stressed asthma model. After one week of the OVA injection, the music group listened to Mozart Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major KV.448 as a way to relieve stress. In the following morning after the last inhalation, the rats were sacrificed and the samples were taken. Concentrations of serum CORT, interleukin-4 interleukin-2 and brain interleukin-1βin bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was evaluated by radioimmunoassays (RIA). The tissues were stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin(H-E) for examining the organizational changes of the lungs. Image analytical system was used to count the inflammatory cells at 400×magnification. Results1. Airway epithelium arranged neatly in the control group with the normal alveolar space and rare inflammatory cell infiltration. In the asthma group, it showed mucosal damage, bronchial stenosis and the inflammatory cell infiltration with a larger interalveolar region than the the control group, the stressed asthma group exhibited smooth muscle hypertrophy, submucous tissue edema, epithelial proliferation Obviously. Inflammatory cells infiltrated in the alveolar wall and perivascular markedly increased, microvascular permeability increased and a large number of red blood cell deposited in the general interstitium, lung expansion is changed more than the asthma group. Damage in the music group is less severe with less endobronchial secretions, few alveolar expansion and a small amount of interstitial lung infiltration of inflammatory cells.2. Compared to the control group, the serum concentrations of CORT were elevated in rats of the asthma group and the stressed asthma group, the concentration of CORT was higher in stressed asthma group than the asthma group, and the music group was lower compared to the stressed asthma group.3. All the sensitized groups exhibited a significant increase in the IL-4 levels compared with the control group. Music decreased IL-4 level in comparision with the stressed asthma group, and stress caused higher concentration than the simple sensitization. And the IL-2 level had just the conversed result according to the IL-4.4. Only the IL-1βlevel of the stressed asthma group had significant depressive changes rather than the controls.5. the number of eosinophils in the lung were significantly increased by OVA sensitization compared with the control group. Music exposure caused a decrease compared with the stressed asthma group, while the restraint stress led to a increase in contrast to the asthma group. According to the lymphocyte counts, the number of lymphocytes was higher in stressed asthma group than the asthma group, and the music group was lower compared to the stressed asthma group. Conclusion1. the HP A axis is up-regulated by restraint stress, which leads to a elevation of the serum CORT. It points to a dysfunction of the immune system that modifies the allergic airway responses and aggravates the inflammation. Stress led to changes in thl/th2 cell balance, th2 activation hyperactivity, thereby increasing the asthma symptoms.2. Music lowers the responsiveness of the HP A axis, modifies the release of the stress hormones that represents the normalization of immune system, and then contributes to the improvement of the asthma symptoms. While there was no significant effect on asthma induced by physical stimulation.