Cardiac arrest/cardiopulmonary resuscitation augments cell-mediated immune function and transiently suppresses humoral immune function.

Immune system activation has implications for cerebrovascular health, but little is known about the function of the immune system after a major cerebrovascular event, such as cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CA/CPR). Cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation damages the hippocampus, an important component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and alterations in HPA axis activity can affect immune function. We tested the hypothesis that CA/CPR (approximately 8 mins) would cause HPA axis dysregulation and alter the delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to antigenic challenge. We also assessed the primary and secondary antibody response of mice exposed to CA/CPR. Of the mice exposed to CA/CPR, half had brains protected by hypothermia to isolate the effects of the CA/CPR procedure from the effects of CA/CPR-induced neuronal damage. Cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation-induced neuronal damage resulted in a persistent elevation of blood corticosterone concentration and a concomitant augmentation of the DTH response to antigenic challenge. Furthermore, immune activation before CA/CPR decreased survival after global ischemia. These data highlight the potential impact of neuronal damage on cell-mediated immune function and the role of humoral immune activation in outcome after global ischemia.