THE PRIMING ACTION OF TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR-ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA) AND GRANULOCYTE-MACROPHAGE COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR (GM-CSF) ON NEUTROPHILS ACTIVATED BY INFLAMMATORY MICROCRYSTALS

We studied the effects of TNF-alpha or GM-CSF on the production of rea ctive oxygen species (as measured by chemiluminescence) and degranulat ion responses of neutrophils to opsonized inflammatory microcrystals. TNF-alpha in the 10-2000 pM or GM-CSF in the 2-200 pM concentration ra nge caused the concentration-dependent amplification of neutrophil che miluminescence responses to both calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD ) and monosodium mate monohydrate (MSUM) crystals. Degranulation respo nses, as measured by the extracellular release of the granule enzymes myeloperoxidase or lysozyme, were amplified by approximate to 50-100% for both MSUM or CPPD crystal-induced neutrophil activation when cells were pretreated with TNF-alpha at 2000 pM or GM-CSF at 75 pM.