LONDON: Going on a two-week holiday could boost our immune system and help fight infection, suggest scientists who found that alterations to living space of mice dramatically changed their white blood cells.
The research at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) in the UK provides the first evidence that an enriched environment influences the function of T cells – a type of white blood cell that is essential for immunity, and involved in HIV, rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic diseases.
The study found that a simple set of alterations to a living space of mice for a brief period of time caused dramatic changes to their T cells which made them more prone to having a protective inflammatory effect.
For the study, mice were housed either in normal or ‘enriched’ environments for two weeks.
The normal environment consisted of a standard mouse cage filled with sawdust and nesting material.
To provide a richer, ‘multisensorial’ standard of living, the enriched environment had a wider cage with wood shavings and toys, including a coloured nest-box, fabric tube, running wheel and swing.
“After only two weeks in an enriched environment with plenty of toys and space, the mice’s immune systems were completely different and seemed to be better prepared for fighting infections,” said lead researcher Professor Fulvio D’Acquisto from QMUL.
“This effect is remarkable because we haven’t given them any drugs, all we’ve done is change their housing conditions,” said D’Acquisto. (AGENCIES)
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