Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026
09:09
High Throughput, Real-time, Dual-readout Testing of Intracellular Antimicrobial Activity and Eukaryotic Cell Cytotoxicity
Published on: November 16, 2016
In vivo potentiation of polymorphonuclear leukocyte function by ciprofloxacin
P E Lianou1, E G Votta, J T Papavassiliou
1Department of Microbiology, University of Athens, School of Medicine, Greece.
Journal of Chemotherapy (Florence, Italy)
|August 1, 1993
Summary
Ciprofloxacin administration enhances polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) function, boosting chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and killing activity. This in vivo potentiation of immune cells suggests potential clinical benefits for ciprofloxacin therapy.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Ciprofloxacin is a widely used fluoroquinolone antibiotic.
- The impact of ciprofloxacin on polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) function in vivo requires further elucidation.
- Understanding drug-immune cell interactions is crucial for optimizing therapeutic outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of oral ciprofloxacin administration on human PMNL function.
- To assess changes in PMNL chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and killing activity following ciprofloxacin exposure.
- To determine if ciprofloxacin directly influences PMNL function or modulates it via serum factors.
Main Methods:
- Ten healthy volunteers received a single oral dose of 250 mg ciprofloxacin.
- Serum and PMNLs were collected at baseline, and 12, 24, and 48 hours post-administration.
- PMNL chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and killing assays were performed using collected samples.
Main Results:
- Serum from 12 hours post-ciprofloxacin administration significantly potentiated PMNL chemotactic activity (p < 0.01).
- Ciprofloxacin did not directly impair PMNL chemotactic response.
- Post-ciprofloxacin serum markedly enhanced PMNL phagocytosis and killing of tested organisms; ciprofloxacin also directly increased PMNL bactericidal activity.
Conclusions:
- Ciprofloxacin administration potentiates PMNL function in vivo, enhancing both chemotaxis and antimicrobial activity.
- These findings suggest a potential clinical benefit of ciprofloxacin beyond direct antimicrobial action.
- The drug's ability to augment host immune responses warrants further investigation.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:27Combined Effects of Drugs: Synergism
Synergism is a useful mechanism where combining two or more drugs is more effective than each constituent used alone. Such combinations are also called supra-additive interactions. The drugs collectively enhance the final therapeutic effect by acting on different targets. Another advantage is that the low dose of each constituent drug is sufficient to achieve the desired effect. This helps reduce the duration of therapy and lower the adverse effects of these drugs.
Such synergistic combinations...
Such synergistic combinations...
01:28Inhibitors of Bacterial DNA Synthesis
Bacterial pathogens depend on precise and efficient DNA replication to sustain infection. Two type II topoisomerases—DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV—are critical to this process, as they resolve DNA supercoiling and unlink chromosomes during replication. Fluoroquinolones, synthetic derivatives of quinolones, exploit this mechanism by stabilizing the transient DNA–enzyme cleavage complex, preventing strand religation, and causing lethal double-strand breaks. These antibiotics are selectively...