Possible involvement of a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-like mediator as an endogenous pyrogen in fever induction by Nocardia rubra cell wall skeleton (N-CWS).
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a cytokine produced in macrophages, also acts as an endogenous pyrogen (EP). To investigate whether TNF has a role in the fever induced by Nocardia rubra cell wall skeleton (N-CWS), the relationship between fever and TNF production was studied in guinea pigs. N-CWS injected i.v. to guinea pigs caused biphasic fever and had L-929 cell-killing activity which resembled that of TNF in the sera 30 min before the first phase of fever appeared. In vitro, L-929 cell-killing activity was demonstrated in the culture supernatant of guinea pig peritoneal macrophages pretreated with N-CWS, and the activity increased dependently on N-CWS concentration or culture duration. When the supernatant of the macrophages was fractionated by gel filtration and each fraction was assayed for fever-inducing and L-929 cell-killing activities, the fraction with the cell-killing activity also induced fever with characteristics similar to that by i.v. injection of N-CWS in guinea pigs. These results suggest that TNF acts as an EP on the fever induced by N-CWS in guinea pigs.
Ohara
K
K
Hirano
Y
Y
Ishida
H
H
Mori
J
J
Tensho
A
A
D000818:Animals; D017358:Cell Wall Skeleton; D005334:Fever / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009088:Mucoproteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009615:Nocardia / Q000032:analysis*; D011749:Pyrogens; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000502:physiology*
D017358:Cell Wall Skeleton; D009088:Mucoproteins; D011749:Pyrogens; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C044553:cell wall skeleton, Nocardia