Effect of anticancer drugs on the release of interleukin-6 in vitro.

This study investigates the effects of anticancer drugs and immunomodulating agents on the release of interleukin-6 (IL-6) from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear leucocytes in vitro. The addition of non-cytotoxic concentrations of Adriamycin (doxorubicin), vincristine and 4-OOH-cyclophosphamide (the in vitro active analogue of cyclophosphamide) resulted in suppression of IL-6 release. The drugs bleomycin, FK156 [D-lactoyl-L-alanyl-gamma-D-glutamyl-(L)-meso-diaminopimelyl-(L)-g lycine], FK565 [heptanoyl-gamma-D-glutamyl-(L)-meso-diaminopimelyl-(D)-alan ine] and the immunosuppressive agent cyclosporin A did not alter the release of IL-6 in the same experimental system.