α-Tocopherol attenuates NFκB activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in brain and improves recovery from lipopolysaccharide-induced sickness behavior

This study was conducted to determine if α-tocopherol facilitates recovery from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sickness behavior through a NFκB-dependent mechanism. In the first study, 3 daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of α-tocopherol (20 mg) improved recovery from sickness behavior induced by i.p. injected LPS. Furthermore, α-tocopherol pretreatment attenuated LPS-activated NFκB and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in brain. In addition, inhibiting NFκB activity in the brain specifically by ICV injection of a NFκB decoy prior to LPS, significantly accelerated recovery from LPS-induced sickness behavior. Taken together, these data indicate α-tocopherol modulates sickness behavior and inflammatory cytokine production in the brain through an NFκB-dependent pathway.