ABSTRACT. In order to obtain basic information about bovine interleukin-1 (IL-1β), levels of IL-1β in sera and milk of clinically normal mature Holstein cattle before and after parturition and in sera of newborn calves were examined by ELISA. The level of IL-1β was undetectable in sera of mature cattle around the time of artificial insemination, but the concentration gradually increased and reached a peak at parturition and then decreased again to an undetectable level. IL-1β in milk was detected on the day of parturition but not thereafter. IL-1β mRNA was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in the cells from milk collected during 20 days before and 2 to 3 days after parturition, but was not detected thereafter. Although IL-1β was not detected in all the sera of newborn calves, the concentration transiently increased with peak titers on day 3 and became undetectable by day 14 after birth. Newborns that showed serum IL-1β on day 3 had been fed on colostrum in which the IL-1β concentration was significantly higher than that in colostrum that had been fed to newborns having no detectable IL-1β on day 3. These results indicate that IL-1β is induced in association with pregnancy in healthy dairy cattle and that the cytokine might be transferred to neonates via colostrum. -KEY WORDS: cattle, colostrum, interleukin-1, pregnancy.
TNF-alpha has been reported to be induced in mice infected with Sendai virus. We evaluated the role of TNF-alpha in the virus infection. TNF-alpha was induced locally in proportion to virus titers in the lung. The activity was correlated with suppression of body weight gain. Passive immunization against TNF-alpha improved body weight gain and ameliorated pneumonic lesions in infected mice, and prevented them from lethal infection, but lung virus induced emaciation, pneumonic lesions and death were mediated by TNF-alpha.
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