Suppression of interleukin-1 beta and tumour necrosis factor-alpha biosynthesis by cadmium in in vitro activated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Cadmium is a highly toxic element responsible for acute and chronic toxicity in man. There is evidence that cadmium induces pathophysiological effects by modulating components of the immune system. Cytokines are being increasingly recognized as essential mediators of normal and pathologic immune responses. Cadmium at concentrations varying from 1.0 x 10(-4) to 3.3 x 10(-6) M inhibited the phytohemagglutinin induced production of interleukin-1 beta and tumour necrosis factor-alpha, in in vitro activated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The messenger RNA levels of interleukin-1 beta and tumour necrosis factor-alpha were examined during a 24-h culture period, at different time points. The decreased messenger RNA levels at the time points of the maximum expression of interleukin-1 beta and tumour necrosis factor-alpha indicate that cadmium suppresses their production at the transcriptional level.