Central corticotropin-releasing factor suppresses natural killer cytotoxicity

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) administered as a single dose intraventricularly produces a dose-dependent suppression of rat splenic natural killer (NK) cell activity. Neither systemic CRF nor CRF in vitro significantly altered NK activity. The immunosuppressive effect of central CRF was antagonized by central, but not by systemic, preadministration of the CRF antagonist, alpha-helical oCRF residues 9-41. These data suggest that CRF released in the brain may have a role in the central modulation of natural killer cytotoxicity.