title: Endotoxin-induced corticotropin-releasing hormone gene expression in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus is mediated centrally by interleukin-1.
abstract: In the acute phase of bacterial infection, a variety of cytokines, including interleukin-1 (IL-1), are elicited by bacterial endotoxin in both the periphery and the central nervous system. Bacterial endotoxin has been previously reported to profoundly activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, resulting in elevated glucocorticoid secretion that may serve an important role as part of the inhibitory feedback mechanisms on the activated immune system. To determine whether IL-1 acts within the brain to mediate endotoxin-induced CRH gene expression in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), we studied the effect of administering the human IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) into the brain, a competitive inhibitor of IL-1, on CRH gene expression in the PVN after systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. Eight hours after the ip administration of LPS, the paraventricular CRH mRNA content was elevated 3-to 4-fold (P < 0.01) compared to the control value, and this elevation could be completely abolished by central IL-1ra pretreatment (P < 0.05 compared to LPS-treated group; P > 0.05 compared to controls). In contrast, systemic IL-1ra administration did not inhibit endotoxin-induced CRH gene expression in the PVN. These studies demonstrate that LPS stimulates hypothalamic CRH by a mechanism that involves the action of IL-1 within the central nervous system and may proceed independently of peripheral actions of IL-1 circulating in the bloodstream.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, New England Medical Center Hospitals, Boston, Massachusetts 02111.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kakucska
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lechan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli; D015870:Gene Expression; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone