A link between extracellular reactive oxygen and endotoxin-induced release of tumour necrosis factor alpha in vivo.

Pretreatment with the reactive oxygen species scavengers superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase or with the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol protected mice against hepatitis induced by the combined administration of lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) and D-galactosamine. In the sera of protected animals no tumor necrosis factor (TNF alpha) was detectable in contrast to abundant amounts in the sera of injured control animals. A similar protection by the suppression of systemic TNF alpha was observed following the pretreatment of mice with polystyrene-coupled SOD prior to endotoxic challenge. Both pretreatments were ineffective when hepatitis was evoked by administration of the mediator TNF alpha instead of endotoxin. These findings indicate that the formation of extracellular reactive oxygen species is a condition needed to induce the release of TNF alpha and thus to mediate endotoxin-induced toxicity.