Neuroendocrine profile in a rat model of psychosocial stress: relation to oxidative stress

Psychosocial stress alters the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis). Increasing evidence shows a link between these alterations and oxidant elevation. Oxidative stress is implicated in the stress response and in the pathogenesis of neurologic and psychiatric diseases. NADPH oxidases (NOXs) are a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the central nervous system. Here, we investigated the contributory role of NOX2-derived ROS to the development of neuroendocrine alterations in a rat model of chronic psychosocial stress, the social isolation