Central effect of dibutyryl cyclic AMP on the temperature in the conscious rabbit

In the rabbit, intracerebroventricular administration of dibutyryl cyclic AMP (DBC) produces fever which is selectively antagonised by phenoxybenzamine. This indicates the involvement of central alpha-adrenoceptors in DBC-induced fever. The decrease in DBC hyperthermia after 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OH-DA) supports the viewpoint that DBC-induced fever is dependent on the presence of noradrenaline (NA) in the central nervous system. The accentuation of NA hyperthermia by theophylline suggests that NA fever may be mediated by cAMP. It is unlikely that DBC-induced hyperthermia in the rabbit is mediated via prostaglandins since indomethacin does not inhibit this response to DBC.