Table 2

Effect of hormone treatment on HPA axis response to acute stress.

Species

Stressor

Hormone treatment

HPA axis response

References

Rats

20-min restraint

Estradiol vs oil and estradiol plus progesterone

Increased

[39]

Exposition to a novel environment

Estradiol and estradiol plus progesterone vs no hormone treatment and progesterone

Increased

[40]

5-sec footshock

Estradiol vs no hormone treatment

Increased

[54]

1-min exposure to ether vapors

Estradiol vs no hormone treatment

Increased

[54]

Rhesus monkeys

30-min intracerebroventricular infusion of interleukin-1α

Estradiol at doses resulting in the typical high levels of plasma estradiol that reproduce the late follicular phase

Increased

[56]

Estradiol at doses resulting in low levels of plasma estradiol

Increased

[57]

Estradiol at doses that results in intermediate levels of plasma estradiol that reproduce the early-mid follicular phase

Inhibited

[57]

Women

Single intravenous injection of endotoxin

Estradiol vs no hormone treatment

No treatment effect

[35]

Psychological stress (speech and math tasks)

Estrogens or estrogens plus progestogen vs no hormone treatment

No treatment effect

[58]

Estradiol vs the same women before treatment

Decreased

[59]

Psychological stress (mental arithmetic tasks accompanied by a repetitive annoying background noise

Estradiol vs placebo

Decreased

[60]

Tarín et al. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 2010 8:53   doi:10.1186/1477-7827-8-53