Heterogeneity of Kupffer cells and splenic, alveolar, and peritoneal macrophages for the production of TNF, IL-1, and IL-6.

Kupffer cells and alveolar, splenic, and peritoneal macrophages from normal rats were incubated for various periods of time in the presence of LPS, and the culture supernatants were analyzed for IL-6, IL-1, and TNF. There was very little difference in the amounts of the cytokines produced by the macrophages when stimulated with 0.01-10 micrograms/ml of LPS. The shapes of the time course curves for the production of the cytokines by the different types of macrophages were generally similar, although only Kupffer cells continued to produce IL-6 throughout the entire incubation period and splenic macrophages showed a lag period in the production of IL-1. Kupffer cells produced more IL-6 than that produced by the other populations of macrophages, and alveolar macrophages produced more IL-1 compared to that produced by splenic cells. Kupffer cells and peritoneal macrophages produced more IL-6 in 24 h than in 6 h of culture, and splenic macrophages produced more IL-1 in 24 compared to 6 h of culture. Alveolar macrophages produced more TNF than that produced by the other populations of cells but only when integrated over the entire incubation period. These results confirm and extend the observed functional heterogeneity of macrophages obtained from different tissues of the same animal. This study and future studies will lead to a better understanding of the role of cytokines in the inflammatory response.