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Aging is associated with altered immune responses including dysregulation of cytokine production. Of cytokines, interleukin-1 (IL-1) family has been primarily involved with central nervous system. To evaluate the age-related different response of IL-1 family following peripheral administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), immunohistochemical study of IL-1β and IL-1 receptor expression was performed on Sprague-Dawley rat brain. Experimental animals were divided into four groups; saline-treated young (3-5 months) and old (over 24 months), and LPS-treated young and old groups. After intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of LPS, three to five rats within each group were killed at 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 hr. After fixation in 4% neutral buffered formalin, the brain slices were paraffin-embedded. Immunohistochemical staining using labelled streptavidin biotin was performed. The results showed that IL-1β immunoreactivity was seen in the endothelial cell of pons in both LPS-reated young and old rats, with slightly longer persistency in old group. IL-1RI immunoreactivity appeared initially in the neurons of cerebral cortex in LPS-treated old group, compared with predominantly the cerebellum in LPS-treated young group. In conclusion, our study shows that there is age-related, different neuronal localization of IL-1RI expression at different points of time after LPS treatment.
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