Fever is Induced at the Systemic Level by ________, Which

Question

Fever is induced at the systemic level by ________, which is an endogenous pyrogen.
A) CXCL8
B) IL-12
C) IL-6
D) CCL2

Accepted Answer

IL-6 is a cytokine produced by immune cells in response to infection, injury or inflammation. It acts on the hypothalamus, triggering the production of prostaglandins which raise the temperature set point, causing fever.

Note: CXCL8 (also known as IL-8) is a chemokine that attracts neutrophils to sites of inflammation, but does not induce fever. IL-12 is involved in the activation of natural killer cells and T-cells, but does not have a direct role in fever induction. CCL2 (also known as MCP-1) is a chemokine that recruits monocytes to sites of inflammation, but does not induce fever.