Immunomodulatory activity of metoclopramide HCl on murine macrophages

Metoclopramide HCl is the active ingredient of the commonly used drugs against nausea, heartburn, and acid reflux. Other than the patients with the acid reflux and stomach problems, it has been widely used in patients going through chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as patients suffering from migraine with stomach issues. To our knowledge, the immunomodulatory effect of metoclopramide HCl has never been tested extensively. Since patients who are going through chemotherapy and radiotherapy are prone to developing immunodeficiencies, it is imperative to analyze the activity of this active drug ingredient on the mammalian macrophages. For this purpose, the mammalian macrophages were tested for their potential to produce the pro-inflammatory cytokines, in vitro, in the presence and absence of LPS as the stimulating agent with a range of metoclopramide concentrations. Our results suggest that metoclopramide HCl did not stimulate the macrophages by itself; but in the presence of LPS stimulation, it significantly and substantially decreased the production of the pro-inflammatory TNFα, IL-6, GMCSF, and IL12p40 cytokines. Although this study involved solely in vitro model, the results imply that in the clinical setting metoclopramide HCl might induce inflammatory reaction against potential infections.