Dehydration enhances endotoxin fever by increased production of endogenous pyrogen

The febrile responses in rats to an intravenous injection of the bacterial endotoxin Salmonella typhosa were investigated under normally hydrated and dehydrated conditions. When endotoxin was injected intravenously into the dehydrated rats, a biphasic-patterned fever resulted, whereas in normal rats an intravenous injection of endotoxin did not induce fever. No significant differences in febrile responses to the intravenous endogenous pyrogen (EP), prostaglandin E2, and intracerebroventricular prostaglandin E2 between normal and dehydrated rats were observed. When the blood plasma obtained from rats with endotoxin-induced fever under dehydrated conditions was transferred to the normal rats, a significant rise in the body temperature was induced. The effect of hydration by an administration of the hypotonic solution after dehydration was examined in endotoxin-induced fever and in changes of the basic blood parameters. It is concluded that febrile responses to endotoxin during dehydrated condition are caused by an increased production of EP. The migration of leukocytes from circulation to any other tissue will be an important factor in producing EP under dehydrated conditions. Furthermore, under dehydrated condition, EP may be produced by numerous macrophages in tissues in vivo, where many kinds of leukocytes migrate and exchange signals with each other in developing an immune response.