Bombesin-induced poikilothermy in rats.

The effect of ambient temperature (Ta) on the rectal temperature (Tre) response to intraventricular injection of bombesin has been evaluated in conscious adult male rats. At Ta = 4 degrees C, bombesin (50 ng-1 microgram) caused a marked hypothermia which was dose-dependent both in terms of the magnitude and of the duration of the response. The bombesin-induced hypothermia was reduced at Ta = 24 degrees C, whereas at Ta = 31 or 33 degrees C, the peptide (1 microgram) failed to affect Tre.AtTa = 36 degrees C, bombesin 1-10 micrograms induced an elevation in Tre. The hyperthermia observed at high Ta could be reversed to hypothermia by transferring rats to cold. The analogs [d-Trp8]bombesin or [d-Leu13]bombesin, tested under the same conditions, failed to produce significant changes in Tre. These findings demonstrate that bombesin appears to act in the brain as a poikilothermic agent by disrupting thermoregulation at temperatures below or above thermoneutrality.