Modulation of rat neutrophil functions by administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

Neutrophil function was examined in rats treated with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) using peripheral blood neutrophils (PBNs) and peritoneal exudate neutrophils (PENs) as sources of cells examined in vitro. Adherence to plastic plates containing fetal calf serum of nonstimulated or N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP)- or tumor necrosis factor-alpha-stimulated PBNs obtained from G-CSF-injected rats was lower than that of control rats. In contrast, this adherence was higher in G-CSF-treated rats than in the control group when PENs were used. Neutrophil adherence of G-CSF-injected and noninjected groups was identical when phorbol myristate acetate was used to stimulate neutrophils. Superoxide production of PBNs stimulated with fMLP in vitro was lower in G-CSF-treated rats than in control rats but higher than in the controls when PENs were used. Furthermore, in vitro tumor cell growth inhibition by PBNs was lower in G-CSF-treated rats than in control rats, but when PENs were used inhibition was higher than in the controls.