Background

Mucosal secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) is an antibody protein-complex that plays a crucial role in immune first defense against infection. Although different immune biomarkers have been associated with stress-related psychopathology, s-IgA remains poorly studied, especially in youth.

Objectives

The present study investigated how s-IgA behaves in front of acute psychosocial stress in children and adolescents, including possible variability associated with developmental stage and history of childhood maltreatment (CM).

Methods

94 children and adolescents from 7 to 17 years (54 with a current psychiatric diagnostic and 40 healthy controls) drawn from a larger Spanish study were explored (EPI-Young Stress Project). To assess biological reactivity, participants provided five saliva samples during an acute laboratory-based psychosocial stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C). Samples were assayed for s-IgA, as well as for cortisol. Pubertal development was ascertained by Tanner stage and CM following TASSCV criteria.

Results

We observed s-IgA fluctuations throughout the stressor, indicating the validity of TSST-C to stimulate s-IgA secretion (F(4,199) = 6.200, p <.001). Although s-IgA trajectories followed a reactivity and recovery pattern in adolescents, children exhibited no s-IgA response when faced with stress (F(4,197) = 3.406, p =.010). An interaction was found between s-IgA and CM (F(4,203) = 2.643, p =.035). Interestingly, an interaction between developmental stage, CM history and s-IgA reactivity was identified (F(12,343) = 2.036, p =.017); while children non-exposed to maltreatment exhibited no s-IgA changes to acute stress, children with a history of CM showed a similar response to adolescents, increasing their s-IgA levels after the psychosocial stressor.

Conclusion

Acute psychosocial stress stimulates s-IgA secretion, but only after puberty. However, children with a history of maltreatment exhibited a response resembling that of adolescents, suggesting an early maturation of the immune system. Further studies are needed to clarify the validity of s-IgA as an acute stress biomarker, including additional measures during stress exposure.

中文翻译：

---

分泌型免疫球蛋白 A (s-IgA) 对儿童和青少年急性社会心理压力的反应：青春期发育和虐待史的影响

背景

粘膜分泌性免疫球蛋白 A (s-IgA) 是一种抗体蛋白复合物，在免疫第一道防御感染中起关键作用。尽管不同的免疫生物标志物与压力相关的精神病理学有关，但对 s-IgA 的研究仍然很少，尤其是在年轻人中。

目标

本研究调查了 s-IgA 在儿童和青少年急性心理社会压力面前的表现，包括与发育阶段和儿童虐待 (CM) 史相关的可能变异性。

方法

探索了从一项更大的西班牙研究（EPI-Young Stress Project）中抽取的 7 至 17 岁的 94 名儿童和青少年（54 名具有当前的精神病诊断和 40 名健康对照）。为了评估生物反应性，参与者在基于实验室的急性心理社会压力源——儿童特里尔社会压力测试 (TSST-C) 期间提供了五个唾液样本。测定样品的 s-IgA 以及皮质醇。根据 TASSCV 标准，通过 Tanner 阶段和 CM 确定青春期发育。

结果

我们观察到整个压力源的 s-IgA 波动，表明 TSST-C 刺激 s-IgA 分泌的有效性 (F(4,199) = 6.200, p <.001)。尽管 s-IgA 轨迹在青少年中遵循反应性和恢复模式，但儿童在面临压力时没有表现出 s-IgA 反应 (F(4,197) = 3.406, p =.010)。在 s-IgA 和 CM 之间发现了相互作用 (F(4,203) = 2.643, p =.035)。有趣的是，确定了发育阶段、CM 历史和 s-IgA 反应性之间的相互作用 (F(12,343) = 2.036, p =.017)；虽然未遭受虐待的儿童没有表现出对急性压力的 s-IgA 变化，但有 CM 病史的儿童对青少年表现出类似的反应，在心理社会压力源后增加了他们的 s-IgA 水平。

结论

急性社会心理压力会刺激 s-IgA 分泌，但仅限于青春期之后。然而，有虐待史的儿童表现出与青少年相似的反应，表明免疫系统提前成熟。需要进一步的研究来阐明 s-IgA 作为急性应激生物标志物的有效性，包括应激暴露期间的额外措施。