Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors in the culture supernatants of polymorphonuclear cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from cancer patients.

Recent clinical and experimental studies have focused on the measurement of cytokines and their regulators, produced by immunocompetent cells. Their estimation may be used as parameters for the immune potential of cancer patients. In the present study we studied the ability of unstimulated and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from oral cavity cancer and breast cancer patients to release tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors (sTNFR). There were significant differences concerning the parameters examined for PMN and PBMC from cancer patients as compared with normal subjects. We found significantly higher concentrations of sTNF-R p75 than sTNF-R p55 in the cell-culture supernatants. The culture supernatants of cells from oral cavity cancer patients contained higher concentrations of TNF-alpha and lower concentrations of sTNF-R p55 and sTNF-R p75 in comparison with breast cancer cell supernatants. In contrast, cells from breast cancer patients secreted lower concentrations of TNF-alpha and higher concentrations of sTNF-R p55 and sTNF-R p75. Although PBMC secreted higher concentrations of mediators than PMN, the quantitative dominance of PMN in the peripheral blood suggests an essential role of these cells in the defense reactions controlled by TNF-alpha.