Tumour necrosis factor-alpha can modulate the phenotype of aortic smooth muscle cells.

In culture, rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC) from an atheroma differed phenotypically from SMC from normal media (M-SMC) in their growth rate, secretion of SMC-derived growth factor (SDGF), and metabolism of acetylated low density lipoproteins (a-LDL). The factor responsible for this in vivo phenotypic change of SMC was investigated in vitro. After preincubation of M-SMC with 0.1-10 U ml-1 of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) for 1-3 days, the cells grew faster than control cells and secreted a substantial amount of SDGF. The population doubling time and secretion of SDGF were inversely correlated. Moreover, after preincubation with TNF, the SMC metabolized [125I]a-LDL, unlike control M-SMC. These findings show that TNF can modulate the phenotype of SMC and suggest that it is important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.