Elsevier

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 352, Issue 1, 27 November 2003, Pages 61-63
Neuroscience Letters

Time of day differences in IL1β and TNFα mRNA levels in specific regions of the rat brain

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2003.07.019Get rights and content

Abstract

Interleukin-1β (IL1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) are involved in several physiological functions regulated by brain. The current studies were performed to determine whether a diurnal rhythm of IL1β and TNFα mRNAs, determined by real time RT-PCR, existed in specific brain regions linked to the functions of these cytokines. Rats were sacrificed 2 h after light onset (AM) and 1 h prior to dark onset (PM). IL1β mRNA levels in the AM were significantly higher than those obtained from rats sacrificed in the PM in the prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, amygdala/piriform cortex, ventral hippocampus, hypothalamus, nucleus tractus solitarius, and nucleus accumbens, but not in the dorsal hippocampus. Time-of-day differences in TNFα mRNA levels were observed in all these brain regions. These results support the hypothesis that TNFα and IL1β have physiological roles within the brain.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from Washington State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program to L. Churchill and the National Institutes of Health (MH60308 to L. Churchill, NS25378, NS31453, HD36520 to J. Krueger).

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