Role of neurohypophysial hormones in temperature regulation

Oxytocin and 'social hyperthermia': Interaction with β3-adrenergic receptor-mediated thermogenesis and significance for the expression of social behavior in male and female mice

Oxytocin (OT) is a critical regulator of multiple facets of energy homeostasis, including brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. Nevertheless, it is unclear what, if any, consequence the thermoregulatory and metabolic effects of OT have for the display of social behavior in adult rodents. Here, we examine the contribution of the OT receptor (OTR) and β₃ adrenergic receptor (β₃AR) to the increase in body temperature that typically accompanies social interaction (i.e., social hyperthermia; SH) and whether SH relates to the expression of social behavior in adult mice. Specifically, we examined how OTR antagonism via peripheral injection of L-368,899 (10 mg/kg) affects the expression of social behavior in C57BL/6J mice, in the presence of active/agonized versus antagonized β₃AR, the receptor known to mediate stress-induced BAT thermogenesis. After drug treatment and a 30 min delay, mice were provided a 10 min social interaction test with an unfamiliar, same-sex conspecific. We hypothesized that OTR and β₃AR/BAT interact to influence behavior during social interaction, with at least some effects of OT on social behavior dependent upon OT's thermal effects via β₃AR/BAT. We found that OTR-mediated temperature elevation is largely responsible for SH during social interaction in mice-albeit not substantially via β₃AR-dependent BAT thermogenesis. Further, our results reveal a complex relationship between OTR, β₃AR, social hyperthermia and the display of specific social behaviors, with SH most closely associated with anxiety and/or vigilance-related behaviors-that is, behaviors that antagonize or interfere with the initiation of close, non-agonistic social behavior.

New Insights into the Role of Glutathione in the Mechanism of Fever

Glutathione is one of the most important and potent antioxidants. The development of pharmacological compounds that can either increase or decrease glutathione concentrations has allowed investigation into the role of glutathione in various biological processes, including immune responses. Recent findings have shown that glutathione not only affects certain factors involved in immunological processes but also modifies complex immune reactions such as fever. Until recently, it was not known why some patients do not develop fever during infection. Data suggest that fever induction is associated with oxidative stress; therefore, antioxidants such as glutathione can reduce pyrexia. Surprisingly, new studies have shown that low glutathione levels can also inhibit fever. In this review, we focus on recent advances in this area, with an emphasis on the role of glutathione in immune responses accompanied by fever. We describe evidence showing that disturbed glutathione homeostasis may be responsible for the lack of fever during infections. We also discuss the biological significance of the antipyretic effects produced by pharmacological glutathione modulators.

Influence of season on plasma antidiuretic hormone, angiotensin II, aldosterone and plasma renin activity in young volunteers

We investigated seasonal changes in hormonal and thermoregulatory responses. Eight volunteers were subjected to the experiment at four times of the year: around the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, and at the summer and winter solstices at latitude 35 degrees N. Plasma antidiuretic hormone (ADH), angiotensin II (ANG II), aldosterone (ALD) and plasma renin activity (PRA) were analyzed before and after water immersion. Seasonal changes in thermoregulatory responses were assessed by measuring core temperature and sweat rate during immersion of the leg in hot water (at 42 degrees C) for 30 min in a room maintained at 26 degrees C. The concentration of plasma ADH and ALD before water immersion was significantly higher in summer than in other seasons. The concentrations of ANG II and PRA did not show seasonal variations. Changes in tympanic temperature during water immersion showed significant differences between seasons, and were higher in winter than in other seasons. The sweat rate was significantly higher in summer than in other seasons. In summary, ADH and ALD concentrations displayed a seasonal rhythm with marked elevation in summer; this may be a compensative mechanism to prevent dehydration from increased sweat loss during summer due to heat acclimatization.

Increases in amino-cupric-silver staining of the supraoptic nucleus after sleep deprivation

Sleep deprived rats undergo a predictable sequence of physiological changes, including changes in skin condition, increased energy expenditure, and altered thermoregulation. Amino-cupric-silver staining was used to identify sleep deprivation related changes in the brain. A significant increase in staining was observed in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) of the hypothalamus of rats with high sleep loss (>45 h) vs. their yoked controls. Follow-up experiments showed that staining was not significantly different in rats sleep deprived for less than 45 h, suggesting that injurious sleep deprivation-related processes occur above a threshold quantity of sleep loss. These anatomical changes suggest that the effects of sleep deprivation may be related to protein metabolism in certain brain regions.

Modulation of synaptic transmission in the rat ventral septal area by the pharmacological activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors

The ventral septal area (VSA) is considered to be critically involved in the control of the height and duration of fever. The major excitatory input to this region of the brain is glutamatergic, and the aim of this study was to investigate possible modulation of this synapse by metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors. Whole-cell patch recordings were made from individual VSA neurons voltage-clamped at -60 mV. Activation of either group I or group II mGlu receptors (by bath application of 3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) or (2S,2'R,3'R)-2-(2',3'-dicarboxycyclopropyl)glycine (DCG-IV), respectively) produced a long-lasting depression of synaptic transmission which in both cases was insensitive to the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist D-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoate (D-AP5). In contrast, application of (S)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (L-AP4), a group III mGlu receptor agonist, had a biphasic effect on synaptic transmission in the VSA, first eliciting a transient depression of transmission during drug application, followed by a marked and sustained potentiation of synaptic transmission upon drug washout. The response elicited by L-AP4 was dependent on NMDA receptor activation, as in the presence of D-AP5 the potentiation was replaced by an underlying long-term depression (LTD) of transmission. These data provide the first evidence that metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists can induce both NMDA receptor-dependent and -independent modulation of synaptic transmission in the VSA.

Prostaglandin fever in rats throughout the estrous cycle late pregnancy and post parturition

We have examined the influence of natural variations in endocrine status on the ability to generate a prostaglandin-induced fever in virgin female, pregnant and lactating rats and compared responses to those in male rats. Endocrine status of virgin female rats was assessed from examination of vaginal smears and time of parturition noted to enable accurate dating of pre- and postparturient fevers. Unanesthetized rats, previously prepared with intraventricular guide cannulas and intraperitoneal telemetry thermistors, were given intraventricular injections of prostaglandin E1 (2-100 ng/5 microliters) and temperatures monitored for 3 h after injection. Virgin females developed significantly larger fevers than did males at higher doses. There were no significant alterations in either fever height or duration as a function of the phase of the reproductive cycle in the females. Both pregnant and postparturient rats within the several days around birth displayed significantly lower fevers than did virgin females, but there was no further reduction in the immediate periparturient period. These data indicate that there are sex-, and possibly hormone-dependent differences in the central mechanisms involved in fever generation and antipyresis.

Effects of anti-inflammatory drugs on fever and neutrophilia induced by Clostridium difficile toxin B

This study investigated the ability of Clostridium difficile toxin B, isolated from the VPI 10463 strain, to induce fever and neutrophilia in rats. Intravenous injection of toxin B (0.005–0.5 μg/kg) evoked a dose-dependent increase in body temperature. The febrile response to 0.5 μg/kg of the toxin started in 2.5 h, peaked at 5 h, and subsided fully within 24 h. Toxin B also induced a dosedependent neutrophilia. Pretreatment with indomethacin (2 mg/kg, i.p.) did not affect the neutrophilia induced by toxin B, but significantly reduced the febrile response measured 4 to 8 h after toxin B injection. Dexamethasone (0.5 mg/ kg) also markedly diminished the febrile response induced by toxin B. These results show that Clostridium difficile toxin B induced a febrile response susceptible to inhibition by dexamethasone and indomethacin. Furthermore, they suggest that prostaglandins are not involved in the neutrophilia caused by this toxin.

Vasopressin-induced sensitization: involvement of neurohypophyseal peptide receptors

Rats pretreated with an intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of 10 pmol of vasopressin or vasopressin analogs, including deamino-D-vasopressin, [pGlu4,Cyt6]vasopressin, [pGlu-Asn-Cys(Cys)]Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2, des-Gly-NH9(2)-vasopressin, Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2, Pro-Arg-Gly-NH2, became markedly hyper-responsive to the motor effects, 24 h later, to a subsequent challenge dose of vasopressin, but not vasopressin-related peptides. A vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist, [d(CH2)1(5),Tyr(Me)2]vasopressin, but not the vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist, [d(CH2)1(5),Tyr(Et)2,Val4]vasopressin, or a more selective vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist, [d(CH2)1(5),D-Ile2,Ile4]vasopressin, or the oxytocin receptor antagonist, [d(CH2)1(5),Tyr(Me)2,Thr4,Orn8,Tyr-NH9(2)]vasotocin ([d(CH2)1(5),Tyr(Me)2,Thr4,Tyr-NH9(2)]OVT), blocked vasopressin and vasopressin analog-induced sensitization. Furthermore, both vasopressin V2 receptor antagonists were found to sensitize the brain to a subsequent vasopressin injection. This vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist-induced sensitization was also blocked by the vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist. Next, we wanted to determine if this sensitization process could involve the release of endogenous vasopressin in the brain as reflected in an amplification of vasopressin mRNA expression. However pretreatment of rats with an i.c.v. vasopressin injection was not associated with an increase in vasopressin mRNA expression in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial amygdala or the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus when measured 0, 1, 3, 7, 12, or 24 h after the first vasopressin injection. As many vasopressin analogs can induce sensitization, we suggest that a novel type of receptor may be involved in the sensitization process.