Jc. Buckingham et al., ACTIVATION OF THE HPA AXIS BY IMMUNE INSULTS - ROLES AND INTERACTIONSOF CYTOKINES, EICOSANOIDS, AND GLUCOCORTICOIDS, Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior, 54(1), 1996, pp. 285-298
It is now well established that challenges to the immune system (e.g.,
infection, inflammation) initiate diverse changes in neuroendocrine f
unction, the most overt of which is activation of the hypothalamo-pitu
itary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. The glucocorticoids that are released
as a consequence fulfill a vital role in the maintenance of homeostas
is that is effected in part through their ability to quench the immune
/inflammatory response and thereby prevent them accelerating to a poin
t where they become hazardous to the host. This article discusses the
putative mechanisms by which immune insults stimulate the HPA axis, wi
th particular reference to the roles and interactions of the interleuk
ins, eicosanoids and glucocorticoids.