Sappino A P, Alberto P
Division d'Onco-Hématologie, Hôpital Cantonal Universitaire, Genève, Suisse.
Ann Pathol. 1987;7(4-5):239-41.
Tumor necrosis factor (= TNF) is a polypeptide hormone produced mainly by macrophages and so named according to its cytostatic and cytocidal properties. Its recent structural and functional characterization has led to the recognition of its multiple effects: TNF administration elicits a state of shock with multi-organ lesions, reminiscent of endotoxinemia, and induces wasting similar to the one associated with chronic debilitating diseases, justifying its denomination as cachectin. At a cellular level, TNF exerts a wide range of biological activities, many of them also ascribed to another macrophage-associated cytokine, namely interleukin-1. Its pleotropic effects suggest it might be the mediator of many pathological phenomenons and therefore, attempts at modulating its production might have greater clinical impacts than its use as an antineoplastic agent.
肿瘤坏死因子（=TNF）是一种主要由巨噬细胞产生的多肽激素，因其具有抑制细胞生长和细胞杀伤特性而得名。其近期的结构和功能特征已使其多种效应得到认识：给予TNF会引发伴有多器官损伤的休克状态，使人联想到内毒素血症，并诱导出类似于与慢性消耗性疾病相关的消瘦，这证明了将其命名为恶病质素是合理的。在细胞水平上，TNF发挥着广泛的生物学活性，其中许多活性也归因于另一种与巨噬细胞相关的细胞因子，即白细胞介素-1。其多效性效应表明它可能是许多病理现象的介质，因此，调节其产生的尝试可能比将其用作抗肿瘤药物具有更大的临床影响。
