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Updated: Jun 12, 2025

Determination of the Relative Potency of an Anti-TNF Monoclonal Antibody mAb by Neutralizing TNF Using an In Vitro Bioanalytical Method
Published on: September 16, 2017
Aspartate Is A Determinant of TNF-α Biogenesis in Sub-Saharan Africa: Insight Into the Pathogenesis of
Stephen W Bickler1,2, David M Cauvi2, Jack A Gilbert3,4
1Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, UC San Diego, San Diego, California, USA.
Abstract:
Urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by a shift toward a proinflammatory state and rising rates of noncommunicable diseases. The biological mechanism(s) linking changes in environmental factors to health and disease are incompletely understood. We propose a TNF-hypersecreting phenotype described in rheumatoid arthritis patients also has a role in the inflammatory response differences observed between rural and urban populations living in Africa. The mechanism involves insufficient mitochondrial aspartate production, failed NAD+ regeneration, ER membrane expansion, and enhanced biogenesis of TNF-α. Supporting data show serum and stool aspartate levels decline with urbanization, and TNF-α production inversely correlates with stool aspartate levels across a spectrum of socioeconomic development. These findings suggest a new hypothesis for the inflammatory differences between rural and urban populations and their role in noncommunicable diseases like atherosclerosis.
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