Acute phase proteins in neonatal rabbits: diminished C-reactive protein response

Acute phase protein response accompanies tissue injury, inflammation, or infection. During the acute phase, serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) can increase as much as 1,000-fold. We found that in response to an intramuscular injection of turpentine, neonatal rabbit CRP-specific RNA and serum CRP rose minimally. In contrast, adult serum levels of CRP increased 20-fold and mRNA for CRP in adults increased commensurately. However, during neonatal acute phase reactions, changes in the synthesis of the third component of complement (C3) and albumin were induced, implying a dysynchronous development of the response of various acute phase proteins.