Activation of neutrophil function by recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor improves the survival of rats with peritonitis.

We examined the effects of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) and cefmetazole sodium on survival, neutrophil count, and neutrophil function in rats with peritonitis produced by cecal ligation and puncture. Rats with peritonitis received either rhG-CSF (50 or 100 micrograms/kg) with or without cefmetazole (50 mg/kg) for 3 days, cefmetazole alone, or no treatment and were evaluated as controls. The mortality rate of all treated rats was significantly lower than that of the untreated rats. The survival rate was 57.1% for the rats given both rhG-CSF and cefmetazole, but there was no significant improvement of survival as compared with cefmetazole therapy alone. Treatment with rhG-CSF at 100 micrograms/kg caused the circulating neutrophil count to increase significantly. The phagocytic activity for latex beads and neutrophil H2O2 production showed a greater enhancement by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) in the untreated rats, thus indicating that neutrophils from treated rats were more activated. These findings show that rhG-CSF can improve survival and neutrophil function in rats with peritonitis, while combined therapy with cefmetazole was also found to be beneficial.