Circulatory shock
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While a number of clinical studies indicate that elevated serum cytokine [interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)] levels are associated with enhanced mortality in sepsis, the time course and the role that different macrophage (M phi) populations play in releasing these cytokines remain to be determined. To study this, polymicrobial sepsis was induced in C3H/HeN mice by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). The animals were then sacrificed at 1, 4, or 24 hr post-CLP. ⋯ Cytokine release (IL-1, IL-6, TNF) from PM phi (without the addition of LPS) was detectable only in cells harvested 1 h following CLP. Alveolar M phi from septic mice showed little in vivo activation. Septic PM phi IL-1 and IL-6 production was markedly depressed at all time points with LPS stimulation, but TNF release remained unaltered.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)