Iron deficiency and interleukin 1 production by rat leukocytes

The production of the immunotransmitter, interleukin 1 (IL-1), by peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) was examined in iron-deficient and control rats. Three groups of weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a purified diet containing 6, 12, or 35 ppm iron for 6 wk to produce severe iron deficiency, moderate iron deficiency, or adequate iron status. Crude IL-1 samples were prepared from acute PEC and assayed for activity. IL-1 preparations from severely and moderately iron-deficient rats enhanced mouse thymocyte proliferation in vitro less than half as much as IL-1 preparations from control rats. In a rabbit bioassay, injection of IL-1 prepared with PEC from either group of iron-deficient rats had little effect on body temperature or plasma minerals, while IL-1 from iron-adequate source PEC produced a febrile response and markedly lowered plasma iron and zinc in recipient rabbits. Severe or moderate iron deficiency, then, clearly impairs IL-1 production by rat PEC.