The febrile response to tissue inflammation involves both peripheral and brain il-1 and tnf-[alpha] in the rat. Luheshi, G N, A Stefferl, A V Turnbull, M J Dascombe, S Brouwer, S J Hopkins, and N J Rothwell. School of Biological Sciences, 1.124, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K., Department of Rheumatology, Hope Hospital, Salford, Manchester M6 8HD, U.K. and The Clayton Foundation for Peptide Biology, Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA 92137, USA
APStracts 3:0375R, 1996.
We investigated the role and interaction between TNF-[alpha], IL-1 and IL-6 in the development of fever, and their involvement in brain and systemic pathways in response to localised tissue inflammation caused by injection of turpentine (PS) in the rat. Intramuscular injection of 10[mu]l TPS caused significant increases in body temperature, of up to 2 degrees C, when compared to saline treated animals. Fevers were maximal 7-8h after injection and were preceded by significant increases in plasma bioactive IL-6. No changes in circulating bioactive IL-1 or TNF-[alpha] were detected. Systemic injection of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra, 2mg/kg, ip) or anti-TNF-[alpha] antiserum (0.4ml, iv) almost completely abolished the febrile responses to TPS over 8h, and markedly inhibited the rise in plasma IL-6 bioactivity measured 6h after TPS. To test the involvement of brain cytokines anti-TNF-[alpha] antiserum and IL-1ra were injected intracerebroventricularly (icv). Injections of anti-TNF-[alpha] antiserum (3[mu]l/rat, icv) or IL-1ra (400[mu]g/kg, icv) significantly (P<0.01 and P< 0.05, respectively) inhibited fever induced by TPS. These data suggest that both localised peripheral and brain IL-1 and TNF-[alpha] are involved directly in the pyrogenic response to inflammation. The results indicate that in the periphery IL-1 and TNF-[alpha] cause increased production of IL-6, the most likely candidate as a circulating endogenous pyrogen.

Received 29 May 1996; accepted in final form 2 October 1996.
APS Manuscript Number R300-6.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Regulatory Integrative
Comp. Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 5 November 1996