TNF but not IL-1 in dogs causes lethal lung injury and multiple organ dysfunction similar to human sepsis

We compared the early and late pulmonary effects of human recombinant tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin 1 (IL-1) challenges in awake dogs with chronic tracheostomies. Serial blood gas analysis, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) with cell and protein analysis, intravascular catheter hemodynamics, and radionuclide left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEF) were determined before and after infusion of TNF (60 micrograms/kg body wt, n = 8), IL-1 (1,000 micrograms/kg body wt, n = 6), or heat-inactivated IL-1 (n = 6, controls). Controls given heat-inactivated IL-1 had no changes (P = NS) in any pulmonary parameter throughout the study. Animals given IL-1 had a transient increase (P less than 0.05) in BAL neutrophil concentration 1 day after infusion but no other changes (P = NS) in pulmonary function throughout the study. Animals given TNF had early (0–4 h) decreases (P less than 0.05) in arterial PO2, increases (P less than 0.05) in physiological shunt fraction and alveolar-to-arterial PO2 gradient, and a high mortality rate (50%). In TNF animals, volume challenges at 4 h were associated (P less than 0.05) with death and noncardiogenic pulmonary edema. In TNF survivors, hypoxemia persisted for 2–3 days and was associated with increases (P less than 0.05) in alveolar protein and neutrophil concentration on days 1 and 3, respectively, which in survivors returned to near normal over 6–21 days. Animals challenged with TNF and not IL-1 had reversible depression of LVEF similar in time course to abnormalities in arterial PO2. In this study, TNF (but not IL-1) challenges were lethal and produced acute pulmonary dysfunction sustained over days (reversible in survivors) that was similar to that seen in human septic shock. The ability of TNF to induce pulmonary injury similar to bacterial shock suggests that TNF is a key mediator of sepsis-induced lung injury. Furthermore, because TNF challenge induced both sustained pulmonary and cardiac injury, TNF may be a common pathway for the multiple organ dysfunction that occurs during septic shock.