The Mechanism of Steroid-Induced Fever

SUMMARY

Two very dissimiliar stimuli to fever production exert their effect by the common pathway of causing activation of a process in leukocytes involving RNA and protein synthesis whereby an endogenous pyrogenic protein or polypeptide is released. The specific characteristics of steroid pyrogens in vivo, such as delayed responsiveness and unique sensitivity of human cells, are reproduced in vitro as are the chemical requirements for excitatory behavior, for the most part. In view of the fact that a common path of pyrogenic activity is followed by such disparate stimuli as gram-negative lipopolysaccharide, gram-positive cocci, tuberculin, and steroids, it seems likely that all exogenous (and some endogenous) pyrogens exert their effect by a common pathway.