Lung compartmentalization of increased TNF releasing ability by mononuclear phagocytes in pulmonary sarcoidosis.
The TNF is a monokine with cytotoxic and tumor-necrosing activities; in addition, TNF may play a role in inflammatory processes. The present study evaluates spontaneous and LPS-mediated release of TNF by AMs and autologous peripheral BMs of normal subjects and patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. A recently developed cytotoxicity assay, specific for detection of TNF activity, was applied. This study demonstrates that (1) unstimulated mononuclear phagocytes released low levels of TNF with no differences between groups; (2) when effector cells were stimulated with LPS, AMs from patients with active pulmonary sarcoidosis released more TNF than AMs recovered from normal subjects and from patients with inactive disease; (3) this increase was compartmentalized to the lungs, since comparisons of TNF production by LPS-stimulated BMs failed to show any difference between study groups. These results suggest that TNF might play a role in the pathogenesis of the alveolitis of pulmonary sarcoidosis.
Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche, Istituto di Fisiopatologia Respiratoria, Palermo, Italy.
M
M
Spatafora
A
A
Merendino
G
G
Chiappara
M
M
Gjomarkaj
M
M
Melis
V
V
Bellia
G
G
Bonsignore
D000328:Adult; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000032:analysis; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism*; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000166:cytology; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha