Whole blood tumor necrosis factor-α production and its relation to systemic concentrations of interleukin 4, interleukin 10, and transforming growth factor-β1 in multiply injured blunt trauma victims

Abstract

Whole blood hyporesponsiveness to endotoxin in multiply injured patients is caused by soluble serum factors systemically released after trauma, whereas the intrinsic leukocyte function appears unaffected. Inhibitory mediators other than IL-4, IL-10, or TGF-beta1 are supposed to be of major biological relevance for the posttraumatic regulation of leukocyte function. Characterization of the causative suppressive mediators is supposed as a prerequisite for the development of immunologically based therapeutic approaches in critically ill patients.