Induction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and exotoxin A-induced suppression of lymphoproliferation and TNF, lymphotoxin, gamma interferon, and IL-1 production in human leukocytes.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a dominant pathogen in infection in cystic fibrosis. This bacterium is thought to play a major role in the chronic bronchial infection-induced pathophysiology. Our data showed that whole formalin-fixed heat-killed P. aeruginosa was mitogenic for human lymphocytes and induced production of substantial amounts of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) in peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes in cultures. Significant amounts of TNF were produced at 10(3) bacteria per 2 x 10(5) mononuclear leukocytes. Treatment of P. aeruginosa with polymixin B did not affect its ability to stimulate TNF production, suggesting that bacterial lipopolysaccharide is not involved. P. aeruginosa, however, did not stimulate production of the T-cell lymphokine lymphotoxin (TNF beta). Exotoxin A, considered to be an important virulence factor produced by P. aeruginosa, did not stimulate either lymphoproliferation or production of TNF. In fact, this toxin, at nontoxic concentrations, was found to depress lymphoproliferation induced by phytohemagglutinin and Staphylococcus aureus and decreased production of TNF, lymphotoxin, and gamma interferon in either lymphocytes or macrophages. This toxin similarly inhibited the production of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and IL-1 alpha, but for the inhibition of the latter, 25-fold-less toxin was required than for inhibition of the former. Inhibition of production of TNF was as sensitive as the IL-1 alpha to exotoxin A. The effects of exotoxin A on lymphoproliferation and cytokine production could be neutralized by the addition of anti-exotoxin A antibodies. These results suggest that two mechanisms by which P. aeruginosa could contribute to the chronic bronchial infection-induced pathophysiology are the nonspecific stimulation of TNF and IL-1 and the release of exotoxin A, a toxin which depresses immune responses.