Impaired production of IFN-γ and TNF-α but not IL-10 in whole blood of septic patients

Background

Underlying disease (UD) is an important variable associated with outcome in sepsis, but its role in inflammatory response has not been evaluated.

Methods

We studied the ability of LPS and killed Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) to induce TNF-α and IL-10, and of PHA to induce IFN-γ, in whole blood from septic patients (n = 20), patients with matched UD and without sepsis (n = 20), and healthy volunteers (n = 20).

Main results and conclusions

We found a decreased production of TNF-α and IFN-γ in septic patients, while the production of IL-10 was not different in the three groups. Production of IFN-γ and TNF-α in whole blood from patients without sepsis were higher than in septic patients, yet lower than in healthy controls. Downregulation of TNF-α production in septic patients, although not restricted to, was more pronounced with LPS than with GNB. Infection itself and UD are involved in the regulatory mechanisms of inflammatory response.