Effects of adriamycin and cyclophosphamide treatment on induction of macrophage cytotoxic function in mice

The effects of i.p. and s.c. Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide treatment of BALB/c x DBA/2F1 mice were studied alone and in combination with immunotherapeutic agents, pyran copolymer and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, on macrophage cytotoxic ability, As assessed by direct viable cell counts of MBL-2 leukemia cells, both Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide produced growth-inhibitory macrophages. This function after s.c. cytostatic treatment peaked at Day 1 and decreased progressively, attaining normal control values by Day 6. When adjuvants, such as pyran and B. Calmette-Guérin, were administered i.p. simultaneously with s.c. Adriamycin or cyclophosphamide, adjuvant-induced cytotoxic function was not markedly affected. A better knowledge of the influence of cytostatic agents alone or combined with immunoadjuvants on macrophage cytotoxic ability may be useful in designing more effective chemoimmunotherapy protocols.