Experimental activation of the innate immune system has contributed significantly to both our understanding of how psychological factors influence immune function as well as how immune activity influences the brain and behavior. The annual influenza vaccine can be used to interrogate the effects of mild immune stimulation on day-to-day changes in psychological processes in human subjects that range across the lifespan and in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Yet, the immune response to the influenza vaccine in the days immediately following its administration are not well characterized. The present study describes changes in inflammatory and antiviral gene expression within circulating immune cells, plasma cytokines, and C-reactive protein (CRP) following receipt of the flu vaccine, and further reports the association between several common behavioral health factors and the acute immune response. Participants were 65 adults (mean age 18.81 ± 1.03 years; 66.2% female) who provided a blood sample immediately before and then 24 h after receiving the vaccine. A subsample also provided additional blood samples at 48 and 72 h. Plasma was assayed for CRP, IL-6, IL-10, IL-8, TNF-α, and IFN-γ, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell RNA was sequenced for evidence of change in expression of an a priori set of type 1 interferon (IFN) and inflammatory response genes (INFLAM). Plasma cytokines, CRP, and IFN response genes increased 24 h after vaccination, all s < .001. The increase in IFN gene expression correlated with the observed increase in plasma cytokines and CRP, < .0001. The immune response to influenza vaccination at 24-hours was moderated by anxiety symptoms, BMI, being female, sleep, and history of influenza vaccination. These factors and their associations with common immune challenges may be useful in studies interrogating the origins of immune dysregulation. The annual influenza vaccine is an accessible and reliable exogenous activator of both circulating and transcriptional markers of innate immune reactivity, with sensitivity to behavioral health factors relevant for psychoneuroimmunology research.

中文翻译：

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流感疫苗先天免疫反应的社会心理预测因素

先天免疫系统的实验激活极大地促进了我们对心理因素如何影响免疫功能以及免疫活动如何影响大脑和行为的理解。年度流感疫苗可用于研究轻度免疫刺激对人类受试者整个生命周期以及临床和非临床人群心理过程日常变化的影响。然而，注射流感疫苗后几天内的免疫反应尚不清楚。本研究描述了接种流感疫苗后循环免疫细胞、血浆细胞因子和 C 反应蛋白 (CRP) 内炎症和抗病毒基因表达的变化，并进一步报告了几种常见行为健康因素与急性免疫反应之间的关联。参与者为 65 名成年人（平均年龄 18.81 ± 1.03 岁；66.2% 为女性），他们在接种疫苗前和接种后 24 小时提供了血液样本。子样本还提供了 48 小时和 72 小时时的额外血液样本。检测血浆中的 CRP、IL-6、IL-10、IL-8、TNF-α 和 IFN-γ，并对外周血单核细胞 RNA 进行测序，以获取先验的 1 型干扰素表达变化的证据(IFN) 和炎症反应基因 (INFLAM)。接种疫苗后 24 小时血浆细胞因子、CRP 和 IFN 反应基因增加，所有 s < 0.001。 IFN 基因表达的增加与观察到的血浆细胞因子和 CRP 的增加相关，< .0001。 24小时内对流感疫苗接种的免疫反应受到焦虑症状、BMI、女性、睡眠和流感疫苗接种史的调节。这些因素及其与常见免疫挑战的关联可能有助于探究免疫失调的起源。年度流感疫苗是一种可获取且可靠的先天免疫反应性循环和转录标记物的外源激活剂，对与心理神经免疫学研究相关的行为健康因素具有敏感性。