PubMed HealthSearch

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Pyrogens”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Single-unit responses of serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus neurons to environmental heating and pyrogen administration in freely moving cats.

Single-unit activity of serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus was examined in response to environmental heating and pyrogen-induced fever in freely moving cats. In the heating study, ambient temperature was rapidly raised from a baseline of 25 degrees to 43 +/- 1 degrees C and maintained at this level for 2 h. Cats displayed hyperthermia, intense panting, and signs of heat stress, however, the discharge rate of serotonergic neurons of the dorsal raphe nucleus was not significantly different from baseline at any time during heat exposure. Similarly, the activity of these neurons was not significantly altered at any time during an approximately 6-h long febrile response induced by the synthetic pyrogen muramyl dipeptide (50 micrograms/kg, i.v.). These results indicate that serotonergic unit activity in the dorsal raphe nucleus is not related to either the activation of behavioral or physiological mechanisms underlying heat defense, or to alterations in thermoregulatory mechanisms during the febrile response to exogenous pyrogen. Furthermore, because these neurons do not respond to an elevation in body temperature induced by either ambient heating or pyrogen, they do not appear to be directly temperature-sensitive. These results do not support a specific role for serotonergic neurons of the dorsal raphe nucleus in thermoregulation.

Animals

The effects of peptidoglycan, a pyrogenic constituent of gram-positive microorganisms, on the pharmacokinetics of rifampicin.

Pharmacokinetics of rifampicin (20 mg/kg orally or i.v.) was determined in calves and rabbits. Seven days later a model pyrogen was administered i.v. to the same animals and 1 hr later the rifampicin administration was repeated. The pharmacokinetic analysis of oral rifampicin was performed using a one-compartment open model with absorption. Intravenously administered rifampicin was analysed by a two-compartment intravascular model. Injection of peptidoglycan in pyrogenic doses led to a significant increase of orally applied rifampicin serum levels in both animal species. The i.v. administration of rifampicin had the same parameters in the control and peptidoglycan experiments. Daily pretreatment of rabbits with small doses of peptidoglycan induced tolerance to the pyrogenic effect. In tolerant animals we did not observe any changes of rifampicin serum levels. Elevated temperature alone was not responsible for observed pharmacokinetic changes leading to the increase of bioavailability of oral rifampicin since another pyrogenic substance (endotoxin) had an opposite effect on pharmacokinetics of previously tested drugs.

Administration, Oral

Characteristics of pyrogen fevers are altered in the aged rabbit.

The febrile response to both intravenous and intracerebral administration of pyrogens was investigated in young and old male New Zealand White rabbits. Intravenous bacterial pyrogen evoked biphasic fevers in both groups of animals. However, the fevers in the group of older rabbits were significantly less than in younger animals. In contrast, intravenous injection of endogenous pyrogen produced identical fevers in the two groups. Bacterial and endogenous pyrogens injected into a lateral cerebral ventricle evoked marked febrile responses of long duration in both young and old rabbits. The responses of the old rabbits were significantly less than those of the younger ones. Finally, direct microinjection of prostaglandin E1 into tissue sites within the anterior hypothalamic preoptic area elicited short latency hyperthermic responses which were significantly less in the older rabbits. Analysis of ear skin temperatures during fever demonstrated that some of the differences may, in part, be due to altered vasoconstrictor responses in the peripheral vasculature. Thus, these data indicate that the febrile response is altered with increasing age in the rabbit.

Aging

Characteristics of immobilized histamine for pyrogen adsorption.

The characteristics of immobilized histamine for pyrogen adsorption were investigated. The adsorbent showed a high affinity for pyrogen at low ionic strength, at around neutral pH, at high temperature and at low flow-rates of a solution containing pyrogen. The adsorption capacity per millilitre of the adsorbent was 0.9 mg pyrogen. Immobilized histamine could be completely regenerated by washing with 0.2 M sodium hydroxide solution containing 10--30% ethanol followed by 1.5 M sodium chloride solution, or 0.2 M sodium hydroxide solution followed by 0.5% sodium deoxycholate solution, 0.2 M sodium hydroxide solution and 1.5 M sodium chloride solution.

Chromatography, Agarose

Sites of clearance of leucocyte pyrogen in the rabbit.

1. The dose-response curve for sustained infusions of leucocyte pyrogen has been demonstrated, and an optimum dose indicated for leucocyte pyrogen clearance experiments. 2. The lungs, liver and small bowel are not significantly involved in removal of leucocyte pyrogen from the circulation in conscious rabbits. 3. A single circulation through one kidney removes up to half of the infused dose of leucocyte pyrogen.

Animals

Central pyrogenic activity of muramyl dipeptide.

Fever can be elicited in the rabbit by the intravenous administration of relatively large doses of a synthetic immunoadjuvant, N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine, or muramyl dipeptide (MDP). This response could be mediated by endogenous pyrogen because MDP has been shown to induce their production both in vivo and in vitro. The results reported here show that intracisternal injection of minute amounts of MDP could elevate fever without activating the release of endogenous pyrogen in the plasma or in the cerebrospinal fluid. Moreover, indomethacin inhibited hyperthermia produced by intracerebroventricular administration of MDP. Therefore, our findings argue in favor of a direct effect of the glycopeptide on the thermoregulatory centers besides its indirect effect through the production of leukocytic pyrogen. This molecule apparently represents the minimal requirement for the pyrogenicity of bacterial peptidoglycan because administration, even by the intracerebral route, of a mixture of muramic acid and of its dipeptide moiety did not elicit fever.

Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine

Demonstration of a human pyrogen-inducing factor during mixed leukocyte reactions.

The role of lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of fever was investigated by stimulating human blood mononuclear cells in a two-way mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR). After 2-7 d of incubation, MLR supernates contained a factor that was not pyrogenic itself when injected into rabbits; however, these supernates, when incubated with human blood monocytes from a third donor, induced the synthesis of LP. The pyrogen-inducing activity was stable at 56 degrees C, destroyed at 70 degrees C, and was neither dialyzable nor removable by adsorption by anti-human leukocytic pyrogen (LP) attached to Sepharose 4B. Production of this factor was not always correlated with increased thymidine incorporation in the MLR. Its production was absent when peripheral lymphocytes were purified over nylon wool. The concentration of mononuclear cells in the MLR varied from 5 X 10(5) to 5 X 10(6)/ml in round-bottomed tubes. Under the latter conditions, some donor cells produced this factor without stimulation in the MLR culture, but when these cells were cultured on flat-bottomed containers at low cell concentration, autologous production was not observed. These experiments demonstrate the production of a human lymphocyte factor (lymphokine) that induces LP synthesis. This pyrogen-inducing lymphokine may be important in the pathogenesis of fever in certain immunologically mediated diseases.

DNA

Production of pyrogenic exotoxin by groups of streptococci: association with group A.

Several groups of streptococci were tested for production of pyrogenic exotoxins (SPE) with Ouchterlony immunodiffusion, a newly developed passive hemagglutination inhibition assay, and an assay for pyrogenicity and capacity to enhance lethal endotoxin shock. With use of these assays, 68 (91%) of 75 group A streptococcal strains were positive for one or more of SPE types A, B, and C; seven were negative for both the known SPE types and antigenically unrelated pyrogenic exotoxins. Group A strains producing both SPE B and C were the most common, and strains producing A alone or AB and AC together were the least common. All of 11 rheumatogenic group A streptococci elaborated SPE C either alone or together with one or both of SPE types A and B. The 10 nephritogenic strains tested were positive for SPE B; five were positive for B alone. In contrast to group A streptococci, non-group A strains (41 tested) did not produce the known SPE types, and 19 of 19 tested were negative for antigenically unrelated pyrogenic exotoxins. Group A strains from Holland, India, and Japan also elaborated SPE. Several group A streptococci used widely in laboratory experiments were tested for SPE types produced.

Animals

Assay of pyrogens by interleukin-6 release from monocytic cell lines.

A novel in-vitro system has been developed for the detection and quantification of pyrogen in pharmaceutical products. The measured variable was evoked secretion of the pyrogenic cytokine interleukin-6 from MONO MAC 6 monocytic cells incubated with the product. The interleukin-6 was detected using a specific and sensitive ELISA developed for this purpose. The test system detected pyrogenic contamination in 3 batches of therapeutic human serum albumin which had caused adverse reactions in recipients. The contamination was not detected in conventional tests: the rabbit pyrogen test and the limulus amoebocyte lysate test.

Animals

The mechanism of the pyrogenic effect of streptococcus cell wall mucopeptide.

1. The intravenous injection into rabbits of 25-50 mug of a preparation of cell-wall mucopeptide (SM) from group A streptococcus produced a rise in rectal temperature and a fall in the number of circulating granulocytes in the blood.2. The pyrogenic response to SM is not dependent on the circulating granulocytes since it occurred also in rabbits made leucopenic by nitrogen mustard (HN 3).3. The pyrogenic response to SM was enhanced after an intravenous injection of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP).4. Pre-treatment with reserpine caused a much greater attenuation of the pyrogenic response to SM than pre-treatment with alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine (AMPT).5. As the reserpine reduced the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and noradrenaline level in the hypothalamus, whereas the AMPT reduced only the noradrenaline level, it is concluded that 5-HT may be involved in the pyrogenic response and the way in which 5-HT may exert this function is discussed.

5-Hydroxytryptophan

Endogenous pyrogen-like substance produced by reptiles.

1. Injection of lizards (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) with rabbit endogenous pyrogen led to a fever. Injections with denatured endogenous pyrogen did not affect body temperature. 2. Injection of lizards with lizard endogenous pyrogen led to a fever of short duration, while injection of denatured lizard endogenous pyrogen produced no change in body temperature. 3. These data support the hypothesis that the febrile mechanism observed in the higher vertebrates has its origins in some primitive vertebrate.

Animals

Further purification of group A streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin and characterization of the purified toxin.

Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE) isolated from culture filtrates of strain NY-5 (type 10), and separated from other extracellular by differential solubility in ethanol and acetate-buffered saline, has previously been shown to exhibit a wide range of biological activities including erythrogenic activity, pyrogenicity, enhancement of susceptibility to endotoxin shock, blockage of the reticuloendothelial system immmunosuppression, and lymphocyte mitogenicity. Toxin prepared in this way was found to consist of hyaluronic acid and several proteins which could be distinguished by thin-layer polyacrylamide isoelectric focusing (IEF), SPE has been further purified by ion exchange chromatography on QAE-Sephadex columns. One of the fractions isolated from QAE-Sephadex, and shown to be a homogenous protein by thin-layer IEF and Ouchterlony with hyperimmune serum, was highly active erythrogenically, pyrogenically, and in enhancing susceptibility to endotoxin. This fraction was identified as exotoxin A. A second, less active fraction identified as SPE B showed similar activities, but differed from the other fraction antigenically and in net charge and molecular weight. These findings indicate that a single highly purified protein can mediate at least three of the biological activities attributed to SPE and NY-5 produces pyrogenic exotoxins A and B in vitro as well as in vivo.

Bacterial Proteins

Purification and characterization of group A streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin type C.

Group A streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE) type C was partially purified by differential solubility in ethanol and acetate-buffered saline. Toxin prepared in this way consisted of protein and hyaluronic acid. After removal of hyaluronic acid, the toxin remained pyrogenic, enhanced susceptibility of rabbits to letahl endotoxin shock, was stable when treated with acid, base, or pepsin, but was inactivated by heat. Toxin further purified by thin-layer isoelectric focusing was pyrogenic and enhanced the susceptibility of rabbits to lethal endotoxin shock. Purified type C toxin appeared homogeneous when tested by Ouchterlony immunodiffusion and migrated as a single protein band in isoelectric focusing polyacrylamide gels (isoelectric point, 6.7) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels (molecular weight, 13,200). The purified toxin was antigenically distinct from A and B SPE, and antisera raised against the purified toxin neutralized pyrogenic activity. The amino acid composition was determined.

Amino Acids

Rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes do not secrete endogenous pyrogens or interleukin 1 when stimulated by endotoxin, polyinosine:polycytosine, or muramyl dipeptide.

Rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes were purified from rabbit blood by centrifugation on colloidal silica gradients followed by sedimentation in 4% Ficoll. The purified neutrophils had normal random motility, responded to chemotactic stimuli, phagocytosed zymosan particles, made superoxide, and phagocytosed and killed bacteria. However, they did not secret endogenous pyrogens either spontaneously or in response to stimulation with endotoxin, polyinosine:polycytosine, or muramyl dipeptide. Macrophages isolated on the same gradients secreted some pyrogen spontaneously and secreted considerably more in response to the same three stimuli. This evidence reinforces the idea that macrophages are the only source of endogenous pyrogens, and that pyrogens secreted by cell populations that are rich in neutrophils are to be attributed to the monocytes or macrophages that the cell populations contain.

Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine

Cross-neutralization of staphylococcal and streptococcal pyrogenic toxins by monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies.

We evaluated cross-reactivity of antibodies against staphylococcal and streptococcal pyrogenic toxins. Monoclonal antibodies against staphylococcal enterotoxin (ET) C1 and streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE) A were tested for reactivity with homologous and heterologous pyrogenic toxins in vitro. Ten immunoglobulin G1 anti-ET C1 monoclonal antibodies showed little or no cross-reactivity in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, but many of these could neutralize the mitogenic effect of ET B, SPE A, or both. Two immunoglobulin M anti-ET C1 monoclonal antibodies and eight immunoglobulin M anti-SPE A monoclonal antibodies showed extensive cross-reactivity in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the mitogenicity neutralization assay. No cross-reactivity was observed with SPE C or toxic shock syndrome toxin 1. Rabbits immunized against ET B, ET C1, or SPE A were resistant to challenge with the immunizing toxin. In addition, reciprocal immunity was stimulated by the two ETs, and immunity to SPE A provided protection against ET B but not ET C1. These results show that staphylococcal and streptococcal pyrogenic toxins which share sequence homology have common antigenic determinants which may not be detected in Ouchterlony immunodiffusion assays.

Animals

Inhibition of endogenous pyrogen-induced fever by a muramyl dipeptide derivative.

N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine, or muramyl dipeptide (MDP), is a synthetic immunoadjuvant analogue of a bacterial peptidoglycan subunit that has a definite pyrogenic effect in the rabbit. Some adjuvant-active derivatives such as murabutide [MDP(Gln)-OnBu] or murametide [MDP(Gln)-OMe] are not pyrogenic. Murabutide did not stimulate human or rabbit cells to release endogenous pyrogen (EP), but murametide induced EP production at the same dosage levels as MDP. Moreover, plasma from rabbits treated with murametide transferred into untreated recipients elicited a febrile response typical of EP fever and comparable with that induced by plasma from MDP-treated animals. Murametide not only inhibited the central effect of EP that is generated but also the effect of an extra dose of EP administered later by the intravenous route. Moreover, pretreatment of rabbits with murametide decreased fever responses induced by certain high-molecular-weight exogenous pyrogens as mediated through the production of EP.

Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine

Temperature responses of lambs after centrally injected prostaglandins and pyrogens.

It has been proposed that pyrogens may produce their febrile response by the release of prostaglandins in the hypothalamus. To test this theory, prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) was injected into a lateral ventricle in dosages of 2-200 ug into conscious newborn lambs, ages 4-168 h. Fiifteen of 40 injections were followed by rises in rectal temperature but the remainder were followed either by no change or by falls. Temperature responses did not appear to be related to age and a variation in responses to the same dosage of PGE was often observed. Some lambs were able to develop fevers in response to intravenous bacterial pyrogen yet did not develop fever after intraventricular PGE 1. Intraventricular bacterial pyrogen (3 ng) produced no change in body temperature, whereas three of four injections of 300 ng pyrogen caused fever. The results suggest that the newborn lamb may be able to develop a fever independently of the central involvement of PGE1. Alternatively, the intraventricular approach may not be useful for the study of the central control of body temperature in the newborn lamb.

Age Factors

Persistence of febrile response to pyrogens after PO/AH lesions in squirrel monkeys.

Observation of a patient who developed fever in spite of severe CNS sarcoidosis led us to test the idea that febrile responses require mediation by neurons in the preoptic/anterior hypothalamic (PO/AH) region. Changes in rectal and skin temperatures and oxygen consumption were recorded after intravenous and intracerebroventricular injections of endotoxin, after intracerebroventricular prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), and after intravenous injections of leukocyte pyrogens in animals in which the PO/AH region had been destroyed. The capacity to develop fever persisted after PO/AH destruction, and the patterns of heat production and heat loss were unchanged. Pyrogens were still effective after intracerebroventricular 6-hydroxydopamine and intraperitoneal reserpine given to reduce brain amines in monkeys with PO/AH lesions. It is unlikely that a secondary control in the medulla oblongata is responsible for the persisting sensitivity to pyrogens, since multiple injections of endotoxin into this region did not cause fever either before or after the PO/AH region was destroyed. The results do not support the idea that control of fever is localized in the PO/AH region alone. Rather, it appears that in the brains of primates there is either multiple central representation of fever control or an inherent capacity to develop sensitivity to pyrogens and to produce coordinated febrile responses.

Animals