TNF-alpha expression and herpes simplex infection in human monocytes treated with growth hormone, prolactin and insulin.

We evaluated the in vitro effect of growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL) and insulin treatment of human monocytes on Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection. GH and PRL increased cell susceptibility to infection which was related to a slight TNF-alpha expression and release. Insulin had no significant effect. Cells activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and then treated with PRL showed a lower susceptibility to HSV infection related to a significant increase in TNF-alpha expression and release. On the contrary, GH and insulin increased the susceptibility to infection of activated cells but did not modify TNF-alpha expression with respect to cells treated only with hormones.