Differential effects of one and repeated endotoxin treatment on pituitary- adrenocortical hormones in the mouse: role of interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.
The role of endogenous interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response was examined in male C57BL/6 mice injected with endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) or saline at 24-hour intervals for 4 or 8 consecutive days. The mice were divided into four groups: (1) LPS injections for 4 or 8 days and LPS injection on day 5 or 9, respectively (LPS-LPS); (2) LPS injections for 4 or 8 days and saline injection on day 5 or 9, respectively (LPS-saline); (3) saline injections for 4 or 8 days and LPS injection on day 5 or 9, respectively (saline-LPS), and (4) saline injections for 4 or 8 days and saline injection on day 5 or 9 (saline-saline). The mice were sacrificed by decapitation 2 h after the last injection and plasma levels of hormones and cytokines and tissue levels of IL-1beta were measured. Plasma adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) levels were significantly attenuated in the LPS-LPS group compared with the dramatic increases in the saline-LPS group following 4 or 8 days of endotoxin treatment. Plasma corticosterone concentrations were comparable in the LPS-LPS group after 4 days' treatment, but significantly lower following 8 days of treatment when compared with saline-LPS group. Repeated endotoxin treatment followed by a single saline injection (LPS-saline) did not alter the levels of IL-1beta in plasma or any of the tissues examined. IL-1beta levels in the hippocampus, hypothalamus, adrenal gland and plasma were elevated to comparable levels in the saline-LPS and LPS-LPS groups after 4 days of treatment. In contrast to the plasma IL-1beta response, TNFalpha levels were dramatically increased in the saline-LPS group but not in the LPS-LPS group following the 4-day treatment regimen. Increases in IL-1beta concentrations were seen in all tissues following one endotoxin challenge in the saline-LPS group following the 8-day treatment regimen, while increases were significantly attenuated in the hypothalamus, adrenal gland and plasma in LPS-LPS for 8 days. The sustained increases in tissue levels of IL-1beta following 4-day endotoxin treatment appears to have functional consequences since [125I]IL-1alpha binding was significantly decreased in the LPS-saline group compared with the saline-saline group. Furthermore, [125I]IL-1alpha binding was markedly reduced in the LPS-LPS group compared with the saline-LPS group. There was a significant positive correlation between plasma ACTH and IL-1beta after a single and repeated LPS treatment for 4 days, while a significant correlation was seen between plasma ACTH and TNFalpha following one but not repeated LPS treatment. These data demonstrate a differential regulation of IL-1beta and TNFalpha by repeated endotoxin treatment and suggest that while TNFalpha may be important modulating the attenuated pituitary adrenocortical response following the 4-day endotoxin treatment, IL-1beta appears to be the primary regulator of the response following the 8-day endotoxin treatment in the regulation of the HPA axis.
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Kochi, Japan. naganoi@kochi-ms.ac.jp
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Nagano
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Takao
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Nanamiya
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Takemura
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Nishiyama
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Asaba
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Makino
E B
EB
De Souza
K
K
Hashimoto
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010907:Pituitary Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D012636:Secretory Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000502:physiology*
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D007375:Interleukin-1; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010907:Pituitary Hormones; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003345:Corticosterone