BACTERIAL LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDES INDUCE PERIPHERAL-NERVE DISTURBANCES INRATS THAT MIMIC HUMAN IMMUNE-MEDIATED POLYNEUROPATHIES

A single injection of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS; i.v an d i.p.) reliably induced peripheral nerve disturbances in male Austral ian albino Wistar (AaW) rats, Signs developed 6 to 24 h after LPS inoc ulation and persisted only transiently Most AaW rats had variable degr ees of bilateral hind limb impairment, and rarely had forelimb, tail, or central impairment. Signs included gait abnormalities, propriocepti ve loss, and to a lesser extent hind limb weakness and sensory deficit s, Signs were more severe in male than female AaW rats and were induce d in a number of genetically related rat strains (e.g., AaW and outbre d Wistar and inbred Lewis rats, but not Sprague Dawley or inbred Fisch er 344 rats), Development and severity of these signs were found not t o be related to animal body weight, but were dependent on LPS dose, Si gns were not associated with LPS-induced alterations in pain perceptio n, or occurrence of spontaneous pain, as indexed by tail-flick and hot -plate tests, Taken together, these data indicate that LPS induced tra nsient peripheral nerve disturbances in rats, the severity of which wa s influenced by genetic, sex-related, and dose-related factors.