Differential production of TNF by Kupffer cells after phagocytosis of E. coli and C. albicans.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) of hepatic origin is thought to play a pivotal role early in the genesis of the septic shock syndrome, regardless of microbial etiology. To determine if production of TNF by Kupffer cells varies with microbial taxonomic class, we measured TNF secretory responses in primary cultures of rat Kupffer cells to numerically equivalent gram-negative bacterial or fungal phagocytic challenges. After a 30-min exposure to media, latex beads, soluble Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS; serotype 055:B5), live or Formalin-fixed E. coli (serotype 055:B5), live or Formalin-fixed yeast-phase Candida albicans, or live hyphal-phase Candida, samples of culture supernatant were assessed at 30, 60, 120, and 240 min and at 24 h for TNF bioactivity by L929 cell cytotoxicity. Compared with media and latex bead controls, TNF levels progressively increased for up to 240 min after either LPS and equivalently in live E. coli or Formalin-fixed E. coli groups (P < 0.05). Formalin-fixed yeast-phase and live extracellular hyphal-phase C. albicans failed to stimulate production of TNF at any time point (6.9 +/- 0.7 and 8.7 +/- 0.4 U/ml, respectively, at t = 240 min; P < 0.05 vs. E. coli). In contrast, internalization of live yeast-phase C. albicans with subsequent hyphal formation and growth within Kupffer cells was accompanied by a rise in supernatant TNF levels (14.5 +/- 1.8 U/ml at t = 240 min).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)