Expression of immunoregulatory cytokines in neurons of the lateral hypothalamic area and amygdaloid nuclear complex of rats immunized against human IgG

Present results showed that interleukin-1 (IL-1), n-6 and transforming grow th factor-beta (TGF-beta) were constitutively expressed in the supraoptic a nd paraventricular nuclei of the rat hypothalamus. Immunoreactive cells wer e also detected, but to a lesser extent, in other parts of hypothalamus as well as in the cerebral cortex. In rats immunized with IgG, there was moder ate increase in immunoreactivities of the cytokines. A notable feature, how ever, was the induction of the cytokine expression in the lateral hypothala mic area and the amygdaloid nuclear complex, suggesting that the neurons in these two areas are involved in possible immune regulation. (C) 2000 Elsev ier Science B.V. All rights reserved.