Monocyte thromboplastin (tissue factor): complementary effect of lymphocytes upon its generation by...

Monkey (Macaca fuscata) mononuclear leukocytes were stimulated to produce thromboplastin (tissue factor) upon exposure to lipopolysaccharide, LPS. The stimulation was dose-related in the concentration range of 10(-5) to 10(-1) micrograms/ml of LPS. Lipid A portion of the LPS molecule was essential to induce the leukocyte ability for tissue factor generation. Thus, a lipid-lipid interaction between LPS and the cells is a plausible trigger for eliciting the ability. Approximately 50% of the tissue factor thus produced appeared to be located on the cell surface, at which the coagulation cascade is probably initiated via the activation of factor VII. Among monkey mononuclear cell populations, monocytes were responsible for LPS-induced tissue factor production. Lymphocytes amplified the basal ability of monocytes to produce the factor by two-fold at physiological lymphocyte-monocyte ratios of 8:1 to 10:1. This indicates a complementary effect of lymphocytes upon the LPS-mediated monocyte ability. The medium supernatant from LPS-stimulated lymphocytes affected the monocyte competence while the stimulated lymphocytes did not. This result suggests that a soluble product of lymphocytes, i.e., lymphokine-like mediator, but not the cellular entity, participates in LPS-induced tissue factor production of monocytes.