title: Exacerbation of toxic effects by endotoxin contamination of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor.
abstract: The toxic effects of endotoxin-free human recombinant tumor necrosis factor (rH-TNF), shown to contain less than 50 pg endotoxin/mg rH-TNF, were investigated and compared with those of rH-TNF and endotoxin coadministered at 4-400 ng endotoxin/mg rH-TNF in female Sprague-Dawley rats. The mean lethal dose of 5.9 mg/kg rH-TNF found for the endotoxin-free rH-TNF was far higher than that attributed to rH-TNF by other investigators. Coadministration with endotoxin derived from E. Coli. Salmonella abortus equi, or Serratia marcescens reduced the apparent mean lethal dose of rH-TNF in correspondence to the endotoxin concentration, with a value of 0.7 mg/kg rH-TNF observed at 1600 ng, 757 ng, and 5260 ng endotoxin/mg rH-TNF, respectively. Coadministration also resulted in more severe histopathologic and physicochemical effects than rH-TNF alone. Histopathologic abnormalities observed only in coadministration included interlobular edema and hemorrhage of the pancreas and, most remarkably, splenomegaly, which was not observed with rH-TNF alone even at lethal doses. The results indicate that particular care in determining endotoxin contamination is essential in any consideration of TNF toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Central Clinical Laboratory, Yamanashi Medical College, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kume
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004340:Drug Contamination; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005260:Female; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000633:toxicity; D012475:Salmonella; D012706:Serratia marcescens; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D004731:Endotoxins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha