Dissociation of temperature changes and anorexia following
experimental colitis and lps administration in the rat.
Weingarten, Susan J. Larson S. M. Collins & H. P.
Department of Psychology and Intestinal Disease Research Program,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8S 4K1
APStracts 3:0105R, 1996.
The acute phase of inflammation induces both anorexia and fever. Since
several analyses suggest a linkage between the meal size and body
temperature, we assessed whether temperature changes were causal to
anorexia in situations involving acute inflammation. Specifically, we
evaluated whether elevations of body temperature could account for
the reduced food intake following induction of experimental colitis
(via intrarectal infusions of TNB) or injection of 100 [mu]g/kg LPS.
Temperature was monitored telemetrically in rats via implanted
temperature transmitters. TNB-treated rats demonstrated a 5-day
anorexia that resulted specifically from a decrease in meal size.
Although TNB-treated rats were hypothermic on the day of treatment,
no other body temperature changes were noted. LPS reduced food intake
and elevated temperature but these two effects were uncorrelated
temporally. Although these results do not identify the mechanisms of
anorexia, the findings indicate clearly that the anorexia associated
with the acute inflammatory response is not secondary to fever.
Received 5 September 1995; accepted in final form 12 March 1996.
APS Manuscript Number R552-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Regulatory Integrative
Comp. Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 27 March 96