Intracellular pathways involved in tumor necrosis factor-alpha release by human monocytes on stimulation with lipopolysaccharide or staphylococcal peptidoglycan are partly similar.

This study compared the effects of intracellular pathway inhibitors on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) release from human monocytes. Cells were stimulated with peptidoglycan (PG) from Staphylococcus epidermidis or with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), both in the presence of 10% human serum. Of 10 substances tested, only the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor tyrphostin AG 126 discriminated significantly between PG and LPS: TNF-alpha release induced by PG, but not by LPS, was dose-dependently suppressed. The results obtained with other modulatory substances, including different protein kinase and G protein inhibitors, suggest that calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, protein tyrosine kinase, and a cholera-toxin-sensitive G protein are involved in both PG- and LPS-induced TNF-alpha release. Further, drugs such as pentoxifylline, chloroquine, and the antioxidant apocynin similarly inhibited TNF-alpha release by PG- as well as LPS-stimulated cells.