Effect of centrally administered interleukin-1 and endotoxin on food intake of fasted rats

We have previously shown that interleukin-1 (IL-1), a polypeptide known to mediate many aspects of the acute phase response to infection, suppresses food intake when injected intraperitoneally into fasted rats. IL-1 acts at the level of the hypothalamus to induce fever. In view of the large number of peptides that have been shown to alter food intake as well as body temperature when injected intracerebroventricularly (ICV), we hypothesized that the receptor site for the anorexigenic activity of IL-1 would be located in a central nervous site bathed by the cerebrospinal fluid. In the present study, ICV injection of IL-1 or E. coli endotoxin (a stimulus for the synthesis of IL-1), significantly elevated body temperature, but did not affect food intake of fasted rats. We conclude that receptors mediating the anorexigenic actions of IL-1 or endotoxin are not located at a central nervous site bathed by the cerebrospinal fluid. Furthermore, fever per se is not responsible for the reduction in food intake seen following peripheral injection of IL-1 or endotoxin.