Expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha cachectin in primary brain tumors of astrocytic lineage

The tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a cytokine released within central nervous system from activated astrocytes and macrophages and involved in several pathologic processes including AIDS-myelopathy, multiple sclerosis and myelin dilatation in panencephalic type of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. We studied the expression of the TNF-alpha in brain tumors. Only tumors of astrocytic lineage like astrocytomas and glioblastomas, or tumors of mixed lineage as oligo-astrocytomas and multipotential primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET) expressed TNF-alpha-like immunoreactivity. We conclude that this lymphokine is expressed in neoplastic astrocytes. We postulate that TNF-alpha may participate in neoplastic transformation of astrocytes via cascade of interactions with receptor for TNF-alpha.