Production of cytokines by mouse peritoneal cells treated with Tolpa Torf Preparation (TTP): dependence on age and strain of mice.

ABSTRACT

Production of two cytokines Interferon beta (IFN-beta) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) by freshly isolated resident mouse peritoneal cells (RPC) treated with immunostimulating drug Tolpa* Torf Preparation (TTP) was investigated. Nontoxic concentrations of TTP (10 and 100 micrograms/ml) potentiated the cytokine production by RPC of BALB/c mice. The observed effects were dose-dependent. The optimal cytokine-inducing concentration of TTP was 100 micrograms/ml. The effect of TTP depended on the age of mice. The high potentiation (16-fold) of IFN-beta and TNF-alpha production by TTP was observed when 5 and 8 week-old mice were used. However, in RPC isolated from one year old mice, only two (fold) potentiation of IFN and TNF was observed. The activities of the same commercial preparations of TTP were compared in the RPC cultures isolated from mice of the three different strains BALB/c, C3H/HeJ and NZB. The significant stimulation (16-32-fold) of TNF and IFN was observed in the cells isolated from BALB/c mice. In contrast, only slight stimulation of IFN and TNF (1-3-fold) was observed in cells of NZB mice. Peritoneal cells of C3H mice did not respond to stimulation with TTP.