E. Tegowska et al., ENDOTOXIN-CHALLENGES PRECOCIAL NEONATES AND IRON CHANGES, Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology, 167(3), 1997, pp. 193-196
In adult mammals fever is associated with the reduction of blood plasm
a iron level. Immature mammals, however, show either a decrease (preco
cial animals such as guinea pig neonates) or a lack of reduction (altr
icial animals such as human neonates) of plasma iron in response to en
dotoxin. In order to determine whether this difference is connected wi
th maturity just after delivery, plasma iron concentration, hematocrit
, body temperature and body mass were measured in rat pups injected wi
th E. coli endotoxin in doses of 50 or 200 mu g kg(-1). Rat pups, like
human neonates, are altricial animals. In 7-day-old rats injection of
LPS led to a dose-dependent decrease in plasma iron level. The fall i
n plasma iron was accompanied by changes in body temperature and body
mass. The results showed that plasma iron response to endotoxin in alt
ricial rat neonates is similar to that observed in precocial guinea pi
g pups.