title: Therapy with antibody to tumor necrosis factor against endotoxin shock in rabbits.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antibody in preventing the deleterious effects of endotoxin. Polyclonal anti-TNF antibody was produced by immunizing rabbits. Experiments were carried out on 16 rabbits intravenously infused with the lethal dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Pretreatment with anti-TNF antibody resulted in protection from the development of hypotension and metabolic acidosis. The serum TNF level was significantly depressed in the antibody-pretreated group. Eighty-eight percent in the anti-TNF antibody-pretreated rabbits survived more than 48 h, whereas none of the rabbits who were given LPS alone survived over 24 h (LPS group). Prominent histopathological changes in the liver and kidney were evident in the LPS group. In contrast, pathologic changes in the tissue from the anti-TNF antibody group were considerably less prominent. These results support the idea that TNF plays a central role in mediating the pathophysiologic changes during endotoxin shock.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitology, Gunma University, School of Medicine, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, 371, Maebashi, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishizaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Youda
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujita