[Biology and clinical pharmacology of tumor necrosis factor alpha]

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) or cachectin is a cytokine with multiple biological actions. TNF-alpha has been implicated as an important mediator of inflammation and as a key element of immune effector cell regulation. This macrophage product has been biochemically characterized and its protein structure defined by molecular cloning of the TNF gene. The availability of human TNF-alpha has allowed the initiation of clinical investigations into the antitumor properties of this factor.