title: Spontaneous production of tumor necrosis factor alpha by Kupffer cells of MRL/lpr mice.
abstract: We report that freshly isolated, unstimulated Kupffer cells (KC) from MRL/lpr female mice in short-term culture spontaneously produce high levels of TNF-alpha. TNF production was first detected in KC cultures at age 6 wk and increased with the age of the mice. Moreover, the levels of spontaneous TNF production by KC directly correlated with the age of the MRL/lpr mice. Although TNF production by KC could be induced with C. parvum in vivo or LPS in vitro in all nonautoimmune C3H/HeN, BALB/c, DBA/2, C57B16 mice, the only other strain in which spontaneous TNF production by KC was observed was MRL/++ mice greater than 10 mo old.
authors.affiliation: La Rabida Children's Hospital and Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Magilavy
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Rothstein
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000254:growth & development; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D013045:Species Specificity; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha