Enhanced enzymatic degradation of tryptophan by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase contributes to the tryptophan-deficient state seen after major trauma.

Decreased lymphocyte proliferation, lymphopenia, immunodepression, and opportunistic infections are common after major trauma. Early alimentation in these patients corrects lymphopenia, enhances immunity, and reduces the incidence of infections, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Tryptophan is essential for the production and function of rapidly proliferating cells such as lymphocytes.

Recombinant human interleukin-1alpha increases serum albumin, Gc-globulin, and alpha1-antitrypsin levels in burned mice.

The response to thermal injury is a complex physiologic process requiring communication between sites of injury and distant target organs. The liver, one of these target organs, synthesizes a family of secretory proteins, the acute phase proteins, that carries out specific immunoprotective functions. In this study we investigated the effects of daily recombinant human interleukin-1alpha (rhIL-1alpha) administration on the serum levels of negatively regulated, i.