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Abstract
The constitutive expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) mRNA and its
induction (60 min later) by peripheral injection of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide
(2 mg/kg i.p.) was demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in the pituitary
and hypothalamus but not in the striatum or hippocampus of the rat. The pattern of
TNF alpha mRNA induction is different from that observed for mRNAs of IL-1 alpha and
IL-1 beta, IL-1ra and IL-6 respectively. This demonstration of the induction of TNF
alpha in the brain may contribute to our understanding of the central effects of TNF
alpha in fever and anorexia.