Activation of the ovine hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and febrile response by interleukin-6: a comparative study with bacterial lipopolysaccharide endotoxin.

Sheep were subjected to immune challenge with either recombinant human interleukin-6 (rhIL-6; 2.0 microg/kg; n = 5), Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin (400 ng/kg; n = 7), or saline (n = 6) to determine if IL-6 activates the febrile and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) responses in sheep, and to compare these responses with those associated with endotoxemia. Blood was collected over time to measure plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and serum cortisol concentrations as indicators of HPAA activity. Unlike LPS, rhIL-6 was not pyrogenic in sheep at this challenge dose. In contrast, rhIL-6 elicited ACTH and cortisol responses that peaked earlier than those induced by LPS. These results suggest that this dose of IL-6, alone, is not sufficient to elicit the febrile response in sheep, however, it is a potent activator of the ovine HPAA response.