Vesnarinone is a selective inhibitor of macrophage TNF-α release

Vesnarinone is an experimental drug that has been used successfully in the treatment of congestive heart failure patients. In this report we investigate the effect of vesnarinone on the cytokine secretory products of mononuclear phagocytes. In a concentration-dependent manner, the drug inhibits the endotoxin(LPS)-stimulated release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α and suppresses interleukin(IL)-6 release, but does not affect the release of IL-1α, IL-10 and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) by mouse peritoneal macrophages. Using competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses, we find that vesnarinone significantly reduces TNFα, but not IL-10 mRNA. In addition to LPS, the drug inhibits TNFα release induced by several other stimuli. The inhibitory effect of the drug on the TNFα biosynthesis can be observed in differentiated human monocytes, in macrophage cell lines, and in synovial adherent cells from rheumatoid arthritis patients. Although the precise mode of action of vesnarinone in the signal transduction pathway leading to the selective inhibition of TNFα is not known, the drug might be useful in the treatment of diseases involving that cytokine.