Acute intrahippocampal injection of human interleukin-1beta stimulates the anterior pituitary POMC transcription and increases plasma levels of ACTH and corticosterone in the male rat.

It has been well documented that interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) is a major mediator for recruiting the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis following infectious disease. The recent localization of IL-1beta receptors in neurons of the hippocampus provides further support for the role of IL-1beta as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator in the central nervous system. In this study, we investigated whether an acute intrahippocampal injection of IL-1beta is able to rapidly stimulate HPA activity.