Indomethacin and sodium carbonate effects on conditioned fever and NK cell activity

Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1992 Oct;43(2):417-22. doi: 10.1016/0091-3057(92)90171-b.

Abstract

The augmentation of natural killer (NK) cell activity and elevation of body temperature (fever) can both be conditioned using camphor odor as the conditioned stimulus (CS) and poly I:C as the unconditioned stimulus (US). While both responses can be conditioned in parallel fashion as shown previously, our results indicate the conditioned learning of these responses may not follow along a common path. We found that injection of a 1% solution of sodium carbonate was able to consistently block the CS/US learning of the NK cell response but did not block conditioning of the fever response. In contrary fashion, mice treated with indomethacin (which inhibits prostaglandin-induced fever) dissolved in the sodium carbonate solution did not learn in consistent fashion the fever response. However, indomethacin-treated animals were able to recall the NK cell response. These results support the view that although the same mediator, IFN-beta, is responsible for the conditioned learning of the NK cell and fever responses both the learning and recall of the responses are initiated along separate pathways.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Body Temperature / drug effects
  • Carbonates / pharmacology*
  • Conditioning, Psychological / drug effects*
  • Female
  • Fever / psychology*
  • Indomethacin / pharmacology*
  • Killer Cells, Natural / drug effects*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Spleen / cytology
  • Spleen / drug effects

Substances

  • Carbonates
  • sodium carbonate
  • Indomethacin