Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: Brain Behav Immun. 2018 Mar 7;70:257–267. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2018.03.005

Figure 4. Peripheral cytokine responses are potentiated in female but not male rats in response to stress and LPS.

Figure 4

Female and male rats underwent inescapable stress or remained in the home cage. 24 h later rats received a single IP injection of 10 ug/kg LPS or saline and blood and tissue were collected 3 h later. (A) IL-1β mRNA expression in liver was increased by LPS but not stress in both female and male rats. (B) Serum IL-1β concentrations were increased by exposure to stress and LPS in female rats. In contrast, serum IL-1β was not affected by stress exposure in male rats. Results were analyzed using 2 × 2 × 2 ANOVAs with sex, stress, and immune challenge as the between subjects factors (n = 6 – 8 per group). Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. #main effect of LPS, *simple effect of stress, p < 0.05 in all cases.