RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Human interleukin (IL) 1 alpha, murine IL-1 alpha and murine IL-1 beta are transported from blood to brain in the mouse by a shared saturable mechanism. JF Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics JO J Pharmacol Exp Ther FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics SP 988 OP 996 VO 259 IS 3 A1 W A Banks A1 L Ortiz A1 S R Plotkin A1 A J Kastin YR 1991 UL http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/259/3/988.abstract AB Interleukins (ILs) 1 alpha and 1 beta are important components of the neuroimmune axis. Recent work has shown that human 125I-IL-1 alpha can enter the brain from the blood by a saturable system, suggesting a mechanism that may directly link the immune and nervous systems. Here, it is shown that radioiodinated murine IL-1 beta and especially murine IL-1 alpha are even more rapidly transported into the brain of the mouse than is radioiodinated human IL-1 alpha after i.v. injection. All three cytokines exhibited self-inhibition, thus demonstrating saturable transport. Also, they all cross-inhibited the transport of each other. This shows that there are not three separate transport systems, but that they either share transport systems with overlapping affinities or share a single system. It was calculated that 0.06% to 0.08% of the dose of human 125I-IL-1 alpha injected i.v. was present in the brain during the first 60 min. By contrast, no saturable component could be detected in the brain to blood passage of the three ILs. No disruption of the blood-brain barrier to radioactively labeled albumin was found with i.v. doses of up to 50 micrograms/kg of human IL-1 alpha. Additional studies on the blood to brain transport of human 125I-IL-1 alpha showed no modification by dexamethasone, morphine, indomethacin or alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone. Studies with antibodies directed toward the binding or nonbinding sites of IL or its receptor on the murine T lymphocyte suggest similar, but not identical, structural requirements for transport and for receptor binding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)