title: Behavioral and physiological effects of a single injection of rat interferon-alpha on male Sprague-Dawley rats: a long-term evaluation.
abstract: Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is a cytokine used as a first line of defense against diseases such as cancer and hepatitis C. However, reports indicate that its effectiveness as a treatment is countered by central nervous system (CNS) disruptions in patients. Our work explored the possibility that it may also cause long-term behavioral disruptions by chronicling the behavioral and physiological disturbances associated with a single injection of vehicle, 10, 100, or 1,000 units of IFN-alpha in male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 5/dose). Following 1 day of locomotor baseline collection, we monitored sickness behaviors (ptosis, piloerection, lethargy, and sleep), food and water intake, body weight, temperature, and motor activity. Observations were recorded 4 days prior to and 4 days following the IFN-alpha injection. Temperature and sickness behaviors were recorded three times daily at 9:00, 15:00, and 21:00 h, and all other indices, once daily. On the injection day, temperature values were highest in the animals receiving the 10-unit IFN-alpha dose 15 min and 13 h post-injection. In the case of sickness behaviors, a significant increase was observed in piloerection in all IFN-alpha groups at each time point measured, while the scores of the rats in the vehicle condition remained unchanged between pre- and post-injection days. Analyses of overall sickness behaviors during morning and night observation periods indicated increased scores in all IFN-alpha groups following injection. Cumulatively, these data suggest that a single IFN-alpha exposure may elicit long-term behavioral disruptions and that its consequences should be thoroughly investigated for its use in clinical populations.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 11 Marie Curie, Room 108, Ottawa, Canada K1N 6N5. akent031@uottawa.ca
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Kentner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miguelez
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bielajew
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004326:Drinking / Q000187:drug effects; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D010827:Physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D016898:Interferon-alpha