Tumor necrosis factor and endothelial cell death.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a multifunctional cytokine that elicits various responses in endothelial cells that can be summarized as being proinflammatory and procoagulant. Apoptosis refers to a genetically programmed form of cell death in which the cell participates in its own demise. Although TNF can activate the death pathway in normal human endothelial cells, apoptosis only results when protein synthesis is blocked. This finding indicates that TNF elicits both survival and death pathways. Endothelial cell apoptosis has been reported in various pathophysiologic situations from vascular development to immune disorders and atherosclerosis. The role of TNF-mediated endothelial death in these situations remains to be defined.