title: Interleukin-1, TNF alpha and their naturally occurring antagonists in sepsis.
abstract: Recent evidence has demonstrated that specific inhibitors of the proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1 and TNF alpha, circulate in the blood of healthy individuals and concentrations of these inhibitors are elevated in inflammation. Initial characterization reveals that one of the classes of IL-1 inhibitors that circulates is the newly described IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra). A class of newly described TNF inhibitors is the soluble type I (p55) and type II (p75) TNF receptor (sTNFR). In patients with nonlethal infections, both IL-1ra and sTNFR appear to circulate at levels that can block the quantities of IL-1 and TNF alpha produced. However, such concentrations of inhibitors are inadequate to prevent the deleterious host responses to exaggerated proinflammatory concentrations seen in lethal septic shock. Nevertheless, administering either IL-1ra or soluble TNF receptors to raise plasma concentrations 1,000-fold can prevent the pathologic sequelae associated with excessive cytokine production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Cornell University Medical College, New York, N.Y. 10021.
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Moldawer
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000097:blood*; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine / Q000502:physiology; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D004731:Endotoxins; D007375:Interleukin-1; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha