TNFalpha and INFgamma inducing capacity of sera from patients with interstitial lung disease in relation to its angiogenesis activity.

Sera from interstitial lung diseases (ILD) constitute a source of mediators participating in angiogenesis. The nature of these mediators is unknown. The aim of our study was to asses whether preincubation with sera from ILD patients could influence TNFalpha and INFgamma production by normal mononuclear cells (MNC) challenged with LPS (for TNFalpha) or PHA (for INFgamma), and to correlate the cytokine levels with angiogenic properties of sera.