Comparative Evaluation of Systemic and Hair Growth Pathways for the Detection and Assessment of Chronic Stress

Abstract

Hair could be a new route index that could be used to diagnose chronic stress in individuals who have gone through chronic stress with or without obvious clinical sequelae. Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare between systemic and hair growth pathway in the detection and assessment of chronic stress. This study was designed to compare the effect of chronic stress and during recovery phase on various stress biomarkers between two measurement routes; hair and serum. A total of 30 female albino rats weighing 100 -170g was used. These experimental animals were divided into three (3) Groups. Group one (1) was control group n=10, Group two (2), =10 was experimental group exposed to physical stressor and Group three (3) n=10 was experimental group exposed to chemical stressor. Serum was collected at the end of each experimental procedure and hair was shaved, washed and dissolved for analysis. Stress biomarkers analyzed were cortisol, Ghrelin, Prolactin, DHEA, C-reactive Protein, Sodium, Potassium and calcium. Data was analyzed using Independent Sample T-Test, One Way Anova followed by Post Hoc. Values were considered significant at P=0.05. In this study, hair growth pathway detected chronic stress when compared with the baseline during physical restraint with sodium (262.45mmol: l:301.19mmol/L). Also, chronic stress was assessed during chemical stress using hair route with calcium ,C-reactive Protein Prolactin, Ghrelin, DHEA(P=0.05).Equivalently, serum detected chronic stress when compared with baseline during physical stress with Ghrelin(4.50ng/ml:0.78ng/ml) and during chemical stress in Cortisol ,Ghrelin (P=0.05) In conclusion, this work has revealed that chronic stress could be assessed and detected with Hair Growth Pathway using these stress biomarkers-Sodium, Calcium, C-reactive Protein, Prolactin, Cortisol and DHEA. Therefore, hair Growth Pathway could provide a novel simpler methodology and could be used in assessment and detection of chronic stress.