Polymicrobial sepsis selectively activates peritoneal but not alveolar macrophages to release inflammatory mediators (interleukins-1 and -6 and tumor necrosis factor).

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. Blood was taken for serum cytokine level determination. Macrophages, of either peritoneal (PM phi) or alveolar (AM phi) origin, were harvested by lavage, and their innate vs. inducible cytokine productive capacities were assessed by incubation with or without endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS). Serum levels of TNF were significantly enhanced 1 hr post-CLP (CLP = 3.8 +/- 2.4* vs. sham = 0.4 +/- 0.9 U/ml; P less than 0.05 by t test). However, not until 4 hr post-CLP were marked increases in IL-6 observed (CLP = 318.0 +/- 209.0* vs. sham = 1.1 +/- 0.5 U/ml), which remained elevated through 24 hr post-CLP (CLP = 11.3 +/- 15.0* vs. sham = 0.03 +/- 0.02 U/ml). 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)