Activity of recombinant tumor necrosis factor on Toxoplasma gondii and Trypanosoma cruzi

Activated macrophages produce tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a cytokine with anti-tumor and anti-plasmodia activities. This study revealed that recombinant TNF (rTNF) inhibits intracellular multiplication of blood trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi in murine peritoneal macrophages. rTNF did not have any apparent direct effect on the survival of extracellular T. cruzi or on its ability to infect mammalian cells. The degree of inhibition of the intracellular multiplication of T. cruzi was found to be a function of the time of exposure of the infected cells to rTNF. rTNF induced a comparable effect when different strains of the parasite were used. In contrast to its activity on T. cruzi, rTNF did not affect intracellular multiplication of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites or bradyzoites in normal murine peritoneal macrophages or in human fibroblasts. Killing of Toxoplasma tachyzoites by activated macrophages was not enhanced by rTNF.