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Different Sickness Responses in Adult and Aged Rats Following Lipopolysaccharide Administration.
Barbara J Kupferschmid1, Barbara Therrien2, Pamela J Rowsey3
11 School of Nursing, The University of Michigan-Flint, Flint, MI, USA.
Biological Research for Nursing
|February 27, 2018
Summary
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) immune challenges cause age-dependent changes in temperature and activity. Aged rats did not exhibit fever or altered activity, suggesting broader sickness monitoring is needed in elderly individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Sickness responses like fever and reduced activity are common during immune challenges.
- These responses are often studied in isolation and not over extended periods.
- The interplay between aging and sickness responses requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of an immune challenge on activity and temperature in adult and aged rats over five days.
- To determine how aging influences these sickness responses.
- To assess these responses concurrently within the Morris water maze (MWM) paradigm.
Main Methods:
- Adult (5-6 months) and aged (22 months) male Brown-Norway rats were used.
- Telemetry devices monitored continuous temperature and activity.
- Animals received lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or saline injection and were tested in the MWM for five days.
Main Results:
- Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced age-dependent changes in temperature and activity.
- Adult rats showed an initial temperature decrease followed by fever, while aged rats maintained decreased temperatures.
- Activity decreased in adult rats post-LPS but remained unchanged in aged rats.
Conclusions:
- Immune challenges elicit distinct age-dependent sickness responses.
- Aged rats showed an absence of fever and no significant activity changes following LPS.
- Relying solely on fever or activity may be insufficient for detecting infections in the elderly.
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