COMPARISON OF THE FEEDING RESPONSES TO BACTERIAL LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE AND INTERLEUKIN-1-BETA

To further investigate the idea that endogenous interleukin-1 plays a major role in the anorectic effect of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LP S), feeding responses to recombinant human interleukin-1beta (rhIL-1be ta) and LPS, as well as crosstolerance or -sensitization between both compounds, were investigated in rats. Intraperitoneally (IP) injected paracetamol (50 mg/kg body weight = b.wt.) markedly attenuated the ano rectic effect of rhIL-1beta (50,000 LAF units/kg b,wt., IP), but was c learly less effective in attenuating the anorectic effect of LPS (100 mug/kg b.wt., IP). As in previous experiments of ours, repeated IP inj ections of rhIL-1beta (three injections of 50,000 LAF units/kg b.wt. o n experimental days 1, 4, and 10) resulted in sensitization to the ano rectic effect rhIL-1beta, whereas repeated IP injections of LPS (three injections of 100 mug/kg b.wt. every second day) resulted in LPS-tole rance. Sensitization to the anorectic effect of rhIL-1beta did not aff ect the anorectic response to LPS. Likewise, LPS-tolerance did not alt er the anorectic response to rhIL-1beta. RhIL-1beta suppressed feeding by reducing meal frequency and meal size. In contrast, the anorectic effect of LPS was due entirely to a reduction of meal frequency. The r esults indicate that rhIL-1beta and LPS do not affect feeding through exactly the same mechanism.