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Attenuated fever response in mice lacking TRPV1
Tohko Iida1, Isao Shimizu, Michele L Nealen
1Departments of Biological Chemistry and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Neuroscience Letters
|March 15, 2005
Summary
Mice lacking the TRPV1 receptor showed normal body temperature regulation but had a reduced fever response to LPS. This suggests TRPV1 plays a role in fever generation, potentially outside the brain.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
Background:
- Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), the capsaicin receptor, is found in nociceptive neurons and the hypothalamus.
- Previous studies suggest TRPV1's involvement in body temperature regulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of TRPV1 in thermoregulation.
- To examine the impact of TRPV1 deletion on fever responses.
Main Methods:
- Thermoregulatory responses were assessed in TRPV1 knockout (TRPV1-/-) mice.
- Mice were exposed to different ambient temperatures and ethanol.
- Fever response was induced using lipopolysaccharide (LPS).
- Central nervous system activation was measured via c-Fos expression.
Main Results:
- TRPV1-/- mice showed no significant differences in circadian temperature, tolerance to extreme temperatures, or ethanol-induced hypothermia.
- Fever production in response to LPS was significantly attenuated in TRPV1-/- mice.
- LPS-induced c-Fos expression in fever-related brain regions was similar between TRPV1-/- and control mice.
Conclusions:
- TRPV1 is involved in the generation of polyphasic fever.
- The function of TRPV1 in fever generation may occur at extraneural sites.