Cytokine secretion by peripheral blood monocytes from patients with acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis.

We have measured the release of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) by unstimulated monocytes and monocytes stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) isolated from the peripheral blood of two patients with acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (AGN) and 16 healthy controls. We have demonstrated that spontaneous and LPS-induced cytokine release correlated with disease activity in the AGN patients. We speculate that in vivo streptococcal infection itself may alter peripheral blood monocyte cytokine secretion.