Therapeutic Use of Cytokines to Modulate Phagocyte Function for the Treatment of Infectious Diseases: Current Status of Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor, Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor, Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor, and Interferon-γ

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases 2002-05, Vol.185 (10), p.1490-1501
• Main Authors: Hübel, Kai, Dale, David C., Liles, W. Conrad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis of the immune response. Humoral and cellular immunity; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Chills - etiology; Clinical Trials as Topic; Colony stimulating factors; Communicable Diseases - immunology; Communicable Diseases - therapy; Cytokines; Disease Models, Animal; Fever - etiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; General aspects; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor - adverse effects; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor - therapeutic use; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor - adverse effects; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor - therapeutic use; Granulocytes; Headache - etiology; Health care administration; Human infectious diseases. Experimental studies and models; Humans; Immunobiology; Infections; Infectious diseases; Interferon-gamma - therapeutic use; Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor - adverse effects; Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor - therapeutic use; Macrophages; Medical sciences; Neutropenia; Neutrophils; Organs and cells involved in the immune response; Pain - etiology; Phagocytes - drug effects; Phagocytes - immunology; Review; Stem cells; Thrombocytopenia - etiology
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/340221

The innate immune system represents the initial arm of host defense against pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Neutrophils, monocytes, and tissue-based macrophages are major cellular components of this system. The potential ability to augment activity of the innate immune system has increased dramatically during the past 2 decades, with the discovery and development of cytokines. Four cytokines, namely granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), and interferon (IFN)-γ, have received increasing attention as potential adjunctive agents for the treatment of infectious diseases. In various animal models of infection, therapeutic administration of each of the 4 cytokines has been shown to enhance pathogen eradication and to decrease morbidity and/or mortality. However, variable therapeutic efficacy has been reported in clinical trials conducted to date. This review summarizes the current status of the use of G-CSF, GM-CSF, M-CSF, and IFN-γ in the treatment of infectious diseases.