Quantification of messenger RNAs for (A) IL-1β, (B) IL-6, (C) IL-8, (D) MCP-1, (E) serum amyloid A3 and (F) IL-1 receptor antagonist was performed by real-time PCR assays using sheep-specific primers and TaqMan probes. Each cytokine was normalized to 18S ribosomal protein mRNA (internal control), and levels for each group were expressed relative to controls as fold increase relative to controls. (*p< 0.05 versus controls, #p< 0.05 versus 2 day LPS).