ArticleInternational journal of medical sciences2013
Body temperature during hibernation is highly correlated with a decrease in circulating innate immune cells in the brown bear (Ursus arctos): a common feature among hibernators?
Article in International journal of medical sciences, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers.
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 54 citations in OpenAlex.
- Emergence from torpor rapidly elevates suppressed blood immune parameters in a bat species hibernating in a moderate climate.The Journal of experimental biology · 2026Article
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- Molecular mediators of cold adaptation in mammalian cells.Communications biology · 2025Review
- Metabolic depression and non-specific immune response during hibernation of common Asian toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus.Biology open · 2025Article
- Transcriptome Remodeling and Adaptive Preservation of Muscle Protein Content in Hibernating Black Bears.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Gut Microbiota Dynamics in Hibernating and ActiveVeterinary sciences · 2025Article
- The Critical Role of Adipocytes in Leukemia.Biology · 2025Review
- Transcriptome remodeling and adaptive preservation of muscle protein content in hibernating black bears.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- What's cooking? The effect of temperature on the immune response.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
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- Investigating the effects of chronic low-dose radiation exposure in the liver of a hypothermic zebrafish model.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Cascading impacts of host seasonal adaptation on parasitism.Trends in parasitology · 2022Review
- Evolutionary analyses reveal immune cell receptor GPR84 as a conserved receptor for bacteria-derived molecules.iScience · 2022Article
- Hibernating brown bears are protected against atherogenic dyslipidemia.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Transcriptional changes and preservation of bone mass in hibernating black bears.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Hibernation as a Tool for Radiation Protection in Space Exploration.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Dynamic Function and Composition Shift in Circulating Innate Immune Cells in Hibernating Garden Dormice.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Article
- Body Protein Sparing in Hibernators: A Source for Biomedical Innovation.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Review
- Adult Stem Cells in Hibernation: Future Perspectives of Space Travel.International journal of stem cells · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHibernation involves periods of severely depressed metabolism (torpor) and decreases in body temperature (Tb). Small arctic mammals (<5kg), in which Tb generally drop drastically, display leukopenia during hibernation. This raised the question of whether the decreased leukocyte counts in mammalian hibernators is due to torpor per se or is secondary to low Tb. The present study examined immune cell counts in brown bears (Ursus arctos), where torpor is only associated with shallow decreases in Tb. The results were compared across hibernator species for which immune and Tb data were available. METHODS AND
resultsThe white blood cell counts were determined by flow cytometry in 13 bears captured in the field both during summer and winter over 2 years time. Tb dropped from 39.6±0.8 to 33.5±1.1°C during hibernation. Blood neutrophils and monocytes were lower during hibernation than during the active period (47%, p= 0.001; 43%, p=0.039, respectively), whereas no change in lymphocyte counts was detected (p=0.599). Further, combining our data and those from 10 studies on 9 hibernating species suggested that the decline in Tb explained the decrease in innate immune cells (R(2)=0.83, p<0.0001).
conclusionsBears have fewer innate immune cells in circulation during hibernation, which may represent a suppressed innate immune system. Across species comparison suggests that, both in small and large hibernators, Tb is the main driver of immune function regulation during winter dormancy. The lack of a difference in lymphocyte counts in this context requires further investigations.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.