[Effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha on the morphology of dendritic cells].
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) on the morphology and ultrastructure of dendritic cells (DCs).


METHODS
Freshly isolated precursors of DCs were cultured in the medium consisting of RPMI 1640 medium and 10 % inactivated fetal bovine serum. In one experiment, the cells were pretreated by TNF-alpha (200 U/ml) for 4 h, followed by treatment with human granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF, 800 U/ml) and interleukin-4 (IL-4, 500 U/ml). The above treatments were repeated again every 48 h. The cells in another experiment were treated with rhGM-CSF (800 U/ml) and IL-4 (500 U/ml) on the day of in vitro culture, which was repeated every 48 h with a treatment with TNF-alpha (200 U/ml) on day 5 of cell culture. On day 8, the cells in the 2 parallel experiments were collected with the former cells designated as T-DC and the latter DC. Morphological differences between the 2 group of cells were observed using light microscope and scanning electron microscope.


RESULTS
The T-DC exhibited more typical dendric processes than DCs did.


CONCLUSIONS
Pretreatment of the precursors of DCs with TNF-alpha for 4 h, in comparison with TNF-alpha treatment on day 5 of cell culture, produced DCs with more typical and conspicuous dendric morphologies.
Pan
Chun-Hua
CH
Department of Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, First Military Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
Luo
Rong-Chen
RC
D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000494:pharmacology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*
D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015847:Interleukin-4; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor