title: Interferon-alpha prevents endotoxin-induced mortality in mice.
abstract: Endotoxins, the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) moieties on the bacterial cell wall, cause many of the pathological features of Gram-negative septicemia. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), primarily a product of monocyte/macrophages, has been shown to mediate many of the pathophysiological effects of endotoxin. Kupffer cells, the largest macrophage population in the body, release TNF when stimulated by LPS in vitro. A recombinant human hybrid interferon-alpha A/D (rIFN-alpha) markedly inhibited this LPS-elicited TNF production by Kupffer cells. The effects of rIFN-alpha were further tested in C57BL/6 mice receiving a lethal dose (400 micrograms/mouse) of LPS. All LPS-treated mice died within 2 days. Pretreatment with rIFN-alpha 1 h before LPS challenge improved the survival at 3 days to 22% (5/23, p < 0.04). In contrast, rIFN-alpha was more effective when administered 20 min after LPS injection, increasing the survival rate to 81% (13/16, p < 0.0001). TNF mRNA expression in the liver and spleen 50 min after LPS challenge, and plasma TNF 1.5 h after LPS were also reduced by either pretreatment or post-treatment with rIFN-alpha. Subsequently, experiments were carried out to test the efficacy of delayed rIFN-alpha treatment. A significant protective effect was still apparent when rIFN-alpha was administered 6, 10 and even 14 h (81%, 62% and 28% survival, respectively) after LPS challenge when serum TNF levels had already returned to near baseline. These experimental results suggest that rIFN-alpha might have a therapeutic potential for the prevention and treatment of the deleterious effects associated with endotoxemia besides mechanisms initially blocking TNF production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Buffalo, NY 14215.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Tzung
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Mahl
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lance
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000633:toxicity*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha