L. Aloe et al., EVIDENCE OF A ROLE FOR NERVE-GROWTH FACTOR IN THE EFFECT OF SIALOADENECTOMY ON BODY-TEMPERATURE OF PARASITE-INFECTED MICE, Archives of oral biology, 41(1), 1996, pp. 21-26
Mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni were used to investigate the ro
le of the submaxillary salivary gland and nerve growth factor (NGF) in
temperature response. The results showed that the infection increased
(36.5 +/- 0.3 vs 35.7 +/- 0.2), while sialoadenectomy decreased (34.4
+/- 0.2 vs 35.7 +/- 0.2) body temperature. These temperature changes
were associated with high or low circulating NGF levels, respectively.
It was also found that infection altered the distribution of oxytocin
-positive neurones in the hypothalamus and that administration of 20 m
u g of purified NGF in normal mice raised (36.1 +/- 0.2 vs 35.1 +/- 0.
2) and of NGF antibodies decreased (34.0 +/- 0.2 vs 35.1 +/- 0.2) body
temperature. Taken together, these observations suggest that salivary
NGF influences the temperature set-point in adult rodents, but the me
chanism regulating these events remains to be elucidated.