Comparison of weight loss induced by recombinant tumour necrosis factor with that produced by a cachexia-inducing tumour.

A comparison has been made of the cachectic effects produced by the transplantable murine adenocarcinoma of the mouse colon (MAC16) with tumour necrosis factor-alpha (cachectin). Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) produced a dose-related weight reduction that was accompanied by a decrease in both food and water intake. The degree of weight loss was directly proportional to the decreased food and water intake. In contrast weight loss produced by the MAC16 tumour occurred without a reduction in fluid or nutrient intake. Both the MAC16 tumour and TNF-alpha produced hypoglycaemia and a reduction in the circulatory level of free fatty acids (FFA), but had opposite effects on the level of plasma triglycerides with the MAC16 tumour-induced cachexia causing a decrease and TNF-alpha producing an increase. The MAC16 tumour elaborated a lipolytic factor which caused an immediate release of FFA from adipose tissue. In contrast TNF-alpha had no effect on mobilization of adipose triglycerides over a short time period. Both TNF-alpha and extracts from the MAC16 tumour caused an enhanced release of amino acids from mouse diaphragm, which was suppressible with indomethacin and heat labile. No TNF was detected in the MAC16 tumour or in the serum of tumour-bearing animals. Both tumour and non-tumour-bearing animals responded with a similar elevation of their serum TNF levels 90 min after a single injection of endotoxin. It is concluded that weight loss produced by TNF-alpha arises from an anorexic effect and that this differs from the complex metabolic changes associated with cancer cachexia.