(BETA) Opportunistic Infections: Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) Increases White Blood Cell Killing Abilities and Numbers


(BETA) Opportunistic Infections: Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) Increases White Blood Cell Killing Abilities and Numbers

Bulletin of Experimental Treatments for AIDS, No. 26; September 1995
Harvey Bartnof, MD

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF, Neupogen) is an FDA-approved drug used to increase white blood cell (neutrophil) counts when blood levels of such cells are dangerously low. This commonly occurs when certain antibiotics, anti-HIV therapies and/or chemotherapies suppress the bone marrow. A recent study documents that G-CSF not only increases the number of neutrophils in the blood, but enhances the functional killing abilities of those cells as well. A. Vecchiarelli, MD, and colleagues reported on their findings in the June 1995 Journal of Infectious Diseases.

After injecting people who had low neutrophil cell counts with G-CSF, the researchers noted a neutrophil (polymorphonuclear) cell count increase of 3- to 11-fold. This increase returned to baseline after 4 days. They also noted significant enhancement in the antifungal activity of those white cells after 48-72 hours, which decreased to baseline after 4 days. The increased destructive activity correlated with enhanced superoxide anion production by the neutrophils. Activity of this antioxidant enzyme is partially responsible for the destruction of microorganisms by the immune system white blood cells.

Vecchiarelli A and others. Beneficial effect of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on fungicidal activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes from patients with AIDS. Journal of Infectious Diseases 171(6): 1448-1454. June 1995.


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