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Article

Original Article

Exp Neurobiol 2008; 17(2): 47-54

Published online December 31, 2008

© The Korean Society for Brain and Neural Sciences

The Central and Peripheral Production of Pro-inflammatory Cytokine, IL-1b after Immune and Stress Stimulation in Rats

Eun-Yee Jung, Kyung Soo Kim and Insop Shim*

Department of Integrative Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 137-701, Korea

Correspondence to: *To whom correspondence should be addressed.
TEL: 82-2-2258-7385, FAX: 82-2-592-6359
e-mail: ishim@catholic.ac.kr

Abstract

Interleukin-1b (IL-1b), one of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, acts as an endogenous pyrogen and is an important mediator of behavioral and physiological responses to immune stimulation as well as exposure to stressors. The objective of the present study was to examine the pattern of central or peripheral IL-1b response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or exposure to the foot shock stress (FS) in rats. After treatment of LPS (100mg/kg) or exposure to the FS [ten times (0.8 mA) foot shocks for 5 sec each and 90 sec interval], body temperature and IL-1b levels in plasma, spleen and brain were measured. Both LPS and FS stimuli elicited increased body temperature but showed different patterns of peripheral IL-1b levels. LPS produced a widespread increase in IL-1b levels in the plasma, spleen and brain, whereas FS produced a significant increase in IL-1b levels only in the brain regions but not in plasma and spleen. The present study suggests that IL-1b is, centrally or peripherally in different patterns, regulated by immune stimulation or exposure to stressors and IL-1b plays an important role in mediating responses of sickness-like behaviors induced by immune stimuli or stressors.

Keywords: interleukin-1b (IL-1b), brain, periphery, foot shock (FS), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), pro-inflammatory cytokines