A. Giampietri et al., Dual effect of IL-4 on resistance to systemic gram-negative infection and production of TNF-alpha, CYTOKINE, 12(4), 2000, pp. 417-421
To determine the effect of interleukin 4 (IL-4) administration in a live se
psis model characterised by high-level production of tumour necrosis factor
alpha (TNF-alpha), mice infected systemically with lethal or sublethal ino
cula of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were given the recombinant cytokine at diffe
rent times before infection. Improved survival and decreased TNF-alpha prod
uction mere observed in lethally infected mice treated with the cytokine 1
day before challenge. In contrast, increased mortality and overproduction o
f TNF-alpha were observed in sublethally infected mice given IL-4 at the ti
me of infection, (C) 2000 Academic Press.