Tumor necrosis factor, cytokines, and the hyperlipidemia of infection.

The hypertriglyceridemia of infection is produced by many of the cytokines that regulate the immune response, including the tumor necrosis factors, interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and the interferons. In rodents, this hypertriglyceridemia is primarily due to the ability of these cytokines to stimulate hepatic lipogenesis and very low density lipoprotein production without causing significant changes in adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase or triglyceride clearance. Induction of hypertriglyceridemia is not directly linked to the syndrome of wasting. Rather, the increase in hepatic production of lipoproteins is part of the acute-phase response and may contribute to host defense.