Modulation of neutrophil apoptosis by psychological stress and glucocorticoid.

Neutrophils play a pivotal role in host defense against bacterial infection, however, these cells may have a harmful effect on normal tissues under certain pathological conditions. We demonstrate here that apoptosis of these cells is modulated by psychophysical stress and its related hormones, suggesting that psychoneural systems may exert an effect on host defense through modulating neutrophil survival.