Release of interleukin 1 from peritoneal exudate cells of cats with feline infectious peritonitis.

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Abstract
A significant amount of mouse thymocyte proliferation promoting activity was detected in the culture supernatants and cell lysates of peritoneal exudates cells (PEC) from cats with spontaneously occurring effusive feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). The production of the thymocyte proliferating factors appeared to be independent of the stimulation with lipoplysaccharide (LPS). In contrast to PEC, peripheral blood leukocytes from cats with FIP failed to release a high level of thymocyte proliferating activity without LPS stimulation, indicating that the cells localized in inflammatory sites were activated to release the biological active factors. Thymocyte proliferating activity in the culture supernatants of PEC from cats with FIP was inactivated by heating at 70.degree.C for 30 min. The molecular weight of the active factors was approximately 12000-2000 daltons with Sephacryl S-200 gel filtrations, and the isoelectric points of this activity were 4.1, 4.8, 5.3 and 6.8, respectively, with chromatofocusing. These results indicate that the thymocyte proliferation observed here is attributed to feline interleukin 1 (IL-1). Therefore, the release of IL-1 by cells activated in inflammatory sites might be at least in part involved in the pathogenesis of vascular lesions seen in cats with effusive FIP.