Listeria monocytogenes, etiological agent of severe human foodborne infection, uses sophisticated mechanisms of entry into host cytoplasm and manipulation of the cellular cytoskeleton, resulting in cell death. The host cells and bacteria interaction may result in cytokine production as Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) alpha. Hepatocytes have potential to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines as TNF-alpha when invaded by bacteria. In the present work we showed the behavior of hepatocytes invaded by L. monocytogenes by microscopic analysis, determination of TNF-alpha production by bioassay and analysis of the apoptosis through TUNEL technique. The presence of bacterium, in ratios that ranged from 5 to 50,000 bacteria per cell, induced the rupture of cellular monolayers. We observed the presence of internalized bacteria in the first hour of incubation by electronic microscopy. The levels of TNF-alpha increased from first hour of incubation to sixth hour, ranging from 0 to 3749 pg/mL. After seven and eight hours of incubation non-significant TNF-alpha levels decrease occurred, indicating possible saturation of cellular receptors. Thus, the quantity of TNF-alpha produced by hepatocytes was dependent of the incubation time, as well as of the proportion between bacteria and cells. The apoptosis rate increased in direct form with the incubation time (1 h to 8 + 24 h), ranging from 0 to 43%, as well as with the bacteria : cells ratio. These results show the ability of hepatocyte invasion by non-hemolytic L. monocytogenes, and the main consequences of this phenomenon were the release of TNF-alpha by hepatocytes and the induction of apoptosis. We speculate that hepatocytes use apoptosis induced by TNF-alpha for release bacteria to extracellular medium. This phenomenon may facilitate the bacteria destruction by the immune system.

Os radicais livres de oxigênio são moléculas que apresentam elétrons não pareados em sua órbita externa, capazes de transformar outras moléculas com as quais se encontram, como proteínas, carbohidratos, lípides e o ácido desoxirribonucleico. Essas moléculas são geradas em situações clínicas onde microambientes de hipóxia são seguidos por microambientes de reoxigenação. Nesse grupo estão o choque hemodinâmico, a septicemia, a resposta inflamatória sistêmica, as hepatites fulminantes, o transplante de órgãos, e a insuficiência respiratória, entre outras condições. Neste trabalho discutimos os principais conceitos sobre os radicais livres de oxigênio: os principais tipos, sua formação e a forma como atuam sobre todas as estruturas celulares provocando lesão tecidual significativa. Os principais sistemas de defesa antioxidante existentes para combater o estresse oxidativo são comentados, com destaque para a glutationa, superóxido dismutase, catalase, glutationa peroxidase e N-acetilcisteína. A influência dos radicais livres de oxigênio sobre as principais doenças pulmonares também é discutida, com ênfase nos produtos do cigarro, doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica, asma, apnéia obstrutiva do sono e síndrome do desconforto respiratório agudo.

Invasion of hepatocytes by Listeria monocytogenes (LM) and Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) can stimulate tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) release and induce apoptosis. In this study, we compared the behavior of hepatocytes invaded by three L. monocytogenes serotypes (LM-4a, LM-4b and LM-1/2a) and by ST to understand which bacterium is more effective in the infectious process. We quantified TNF-α release by ELISA, apoptosis rates by annexin V (early apoptosis) and TUNEL (late apoptosis) techniques. The cell morphology was studied too. TNF-α release rate was highest in ST-invaded hepatocytes. ST and LM-1/2a induced the highest apoptosis production rates evaluated by TUNEL. LM-4b produced the highest apoptosis rate measured by annexin. Invaded hepatocytes presented various morphological alterations. Overall, LM-4b and LM-1/2a proved to be the most efficient at cell invasion, although ST adapted faster to the environment and induced earlier hepatocyte TNF-α release.

This study verified the correlation between the serum levels of TNF alpha and different clinical forms of tuberculosis. We described a group of 24 patients presenting several clinical forms of tuberculosis and a control group of 13 healthy individuals. The levels of TNF alpha were measured by bioassay method. The levels of TNF-alpha had significant differences between the tuberculosis and control groups. The patients with abnormal chest X-Ray findings had higher TNF alpha levels (15328.48 ± 4602.19 pg/mL) when compared to patients with normal X-Rays (3353.18 ± 1495.29 pg/mL) (p<0.05). Patients that lost weight had higher TNF alpha levels (15468.54 ± 4580.54 pg/ mL) than those that didn't loose weight (2904.98 ± 1367.89) (p<0.05). The levels of TNF alpha were higher in patients with a positive PPD skin test than in those with a negative PPD test (p<0.05). There was a positive correlation between patients' clinical severity and the serum levels of TNF alpha. In patients with successive measurements of TNF alpha, we observed that there was a drop in cytokine levels, and also a clinical improvement concomitantly. We concluded that there was a correlation between serum TNF alpha levels and chest X-Ray alterations, loss of weight, positive PPD skin test and clinical severity in patients with tuberculosis. There was evidence of a worse clinical outcome in patients with tuberculosis that presented higher TNF alpha serum levels.

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