Role of the central nervous system in acute-phase responses to leukocytic pyrogen

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Abstract
Intracerebroventricular injection of rabbit leukocytic pyrogen (LP) into conscious, healthy cannulated rabbits produced markedly enhanced febrile and acute-phase responses as compared with equivalent-dose, single bolus i.v. injection. The increased effectiveness in inducing granulocytosis and hypoferremia on intracerebroventricular injection was matched by changing the method of administration of i.v. LP from a single initial bolus to multiple fractional doses over 2 h. Augmentation for these parameters may have reflected only a reservoir function of the cerebral ventricles which prevented rapid clearance of LP from the blood. The ability of LP to induce hepatic synthesis of haptoglobin and C-reactive protein was so markedly enhanced by intracerebroventricular injection that a role of the CNS in mediating or in modifying in an important way a non-neural mechanism must be postulated.