Corrigendum: Effect of Acetaminophen Ingestion on Thermoregulation of Normothermic, Non-febrile Humans.

[This corrects the article on p. 54 in vol. 7, PMID: 27014068.

Effect of Acetaminophen Ingestion on Thermoregulation of Normothermic, Non-febrile Humans.

In non-febrile mouse models, high dose acetaminophen administration causes profound hypothermia. However, this potentially hazardous side-effect has not been confirmed in non-febrile humans. Thus, we sought to ascertain whether an acute therapeutic dose (20 mg⋅kg lean body mass) of acetaminophen would reduce non-febrile human core temperature in a sub-neutral environment.

Is prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) involved in the thermogenic response to environmental cooling in healthy humans?

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is an eicosanoid derived from cyclooxygenase, an enzyme responsible for the cyclisation and oxygenation of arachidonic acid. In response to bacterial infection, PGE2 binds to EP3 receptors on a population of GABAergic neurons in the pre-optic area. Activation of the EP3 receptor decreases the intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) concentrations of these neurons, and the resulting dis-inhibition activates spinal motor outputs responsible for shivering thermogenesis, tachycardia, and brown adipose tissue activation.