Different and synergistic actions of human tumor necrosis factor and interferon-gamma in damage of liposome membranes.

The effects of human recombinant tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in damage of liposome membranes were examined to elucidate the molecular mechanism of their antiproliferative actions on tumor cells. The extent of membrane damage was assayed by measuring the rate of release of the fluorescent dye calcein encapsulated in the liposomes at different pH values in the presence of TNF and/or IFN-gamma. At pH values below about 5, TNF bound to phospholipid liposomes composed of mixtures of phosphatidyl-serine and phosphatidylcholine in molar ratios of 2:1 and 1:2 and caused rapid release of calcein. In contrast, IFN-gamma induced very slow leakage of dye although it bound almost completely to the membranes, suggesting that it causes much less membrane damage than TNF. Small amounts of these two antitumor factors bound to phosphatidylcholine liposomes in the pH range of 4-7, inducing relatively slow leakage of calcein. In the presence of both TNF and IFN-gamma at pH 5, the maximal leakage rate was twice the sum of the rates with the two proteins individually, and the rate depended on the TNF/IFN-gamma ratio, indicating synergistic effects of TNF and IFN-gamma in induction of membrane damage. These different and synergistic actions on liposome membranes may account for the different antitumor properties of the two antitumor cytokines and their synergism.