Rodrigo Guimarães Vieira de Carvalho et al. Gustavo Augusto Ferreira Mota Milene Vitória Sampaio Sobral Ana Paula Coelho Figueira Freire Francis Lopes Pacagnelli
Psychological stress is common and plays a significant role in adapting to environmental challenges. However, it also has negative health effects, potentially triggering psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression. Physiological responses to stress play a crucial role in the development of cardiovascular diseases, as hemodynamic, vascular, and immunological changes induced by stress are particularly involved in this process. Stress activates brain regions that, through the sympathetic nervous system or hormones, affect heart function. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) increases serum corticosterone, aggravating lipid profiles and accelerating atherosclerosis in rodents. Chronic stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, increasing glucocorticoids and reactive oxygen species, contributing to cardiovascular disorders.
CUMS models simulate depression in animals, as evidenced by anhedonia, which is reversible with antidepressants. This animal model has been validated and is widely used; however, improvements in studies utilizing this model can be implemented. It is recommended to stratify animals in the CUMS group into “resilient” and “susceptible” cohorts, use more refined protocols in the sucrose preference test to minimize physiological and physical artifacts, systematically evaluation of the nonspecific effects of CUMS, and implement adjustments in behavioral tests. Researchers observed that rats exposed to CUMS exhibited both cardiac and behavioral changes, increasing the risk of arrhythmias and infarction.
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