Effect of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor on the colony growth of human leukemia progenitor cells and normal hematopoietic progenitor cells.

The effects of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (rH-TNF) on the colony growth of human leukemia progenitor cells (L-CFU), granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM), and erythroid progenitor cells (BFU-E) were studied. L-CFU was assayed with leukemia cells obtained from patients with acute myelogenous leukemia. CFU-GM and BFU-E were assayed with bone marrow cells obtained from hematologically normal donors and patients with acute leukemia or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in complete remission. A dose-dependent growth inhibition of L-CFU as well as CFU-GM and BFU-E was observed by rH-TNF at concentrations of 1 to 100 U/mL. The inhibitory effect on L-CFU was significantly greater than that on CFU-GM. No correlation was observed between the inhibitory effect on L-CFU and the number of colonies formed in the cultures without rH-TNF. Preincubation of the progenitor cells in culture medium containing 20% fetal calf serum with up to 1,000 U/mL of rH-TNF for 24 hours did not result in the inhibition of colony growth of L-CFU or CFU-GM. The inhibitory effect of rH-TNF was neutralized by an anti-rH-TNF murine monoclonal antibody.