Fig. 1.
Effects of lipopolysaccharide, etomidate, and ketamine on hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in mice. (A, C) Messenger RNA levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and plasma adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) 12 and 48 h after injection. (B, D) Messenger RNA levels of cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme P450 (P450scc), 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD), 21-hydroxylase (21-HS), 11β-hydroxylase (11β-HS), and plasma level of corticosterone (CORT-B) 12 and 48 h after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection. The values are presented as mean ± SD of optical density (O.D.) and plasma levels. n = 5 per group at each time. †Comparison between control and lipopolysaccharide–NaCl groups. ‡Comparison between lipopolysaccharide–NaCl and etomidate or ketamine groups. *All other comparisons. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001.