title: Selected contribution: circadian rhythm of tumor necrosis factor-alpha uptake into mouse spinal cord.
abstract: Circadian variations in the actions of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) have been observed. Because a saturable transport system at the blood-brain barrier mediates most of the influx of TNF-alpha from blood to the central nervous system (CNS), the circadian variation of the CNS effects of TNF-alpha could be related to changes in this transport system. Accordingly, we measured the uptake of intravenously injected TNF-alpha into various CNS regions at different times and compared these measurements with the uptake into a peripheral control (muscle). We found that the spinal cord, but not the brain, showed a circadian rhythm in the uptake of TNF-alpha. This pattern is similar to that of leptin but different from that of interleukin-1. The circadian rhythm of the influx of TNF-alpha into this region of the CNS suggests a functional role for the spinal cord in the physiological actions of TNF-alpha.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Tulane University and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112-1262, USA. wpan@tulane.edu
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Germaine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cornélissen
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Halberg
authors.forename: Abba J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kastin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D051379:Mice; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha