Effect of Macrolide Antibiotics on Macrophage Functions

• Published in: MICROBIOLOGY and IMMUNOLOGY Vol. 40; no. 7; pp. 473 - 479
• Main Authors: Xu, Guang, Fujita, Jiro, Negayama, Kiyoshi, Yuube, Koichi, Hojo, Satoko, Yamaji, Yasufumi, Kawanishi, Koichi, Takahara, Jiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.1996; Center For Academic Publications Japan; Center for Academic Publications Japan
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Azithromycin - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Candida albicans; Cell Line; Chemotaxis - drug effects; Clarithromycin - pharmacology; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic - drug effects; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Erythromycin - analogs & derivatives; Erythromycin - pharmacology; Immunomodulator; Immunomodulators; Macrolide antibiotics; Macrophage functions; Macrophages - drug effects; Macrophages - immunology; Medical sciences; Mice; Phagocytosis - drug effects; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Roxithromycin - pharmacology; Immunomodulator; Antibiotic; Immunostimulation; Macrolide; Biological activity; Macrophage
• ISSN: 0385-5600; 1348-0421
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1996.tb01097.x

Macrolide antibiotics have a variety of actions other than antimicrobial activities. Recently, it has been suggested that macrolide antibiotics act as immunomodulators. In this study, we evaluated the effects of macrolide antibiotics on macrophage functions. For the macrophage, we used the mouse macrophage cell line J774.1. The following effects of macrolide antibiotics on macrophage functions were evaluated: the effect of macrolide antibiotics on macrophage growth; the phagocytosis of beads; cytocidal activity against Candida albicans; and chemotaxis to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Macrolide antibiotics except for azithromycin significantly stimulated the growth of the macrophage. In addition, pretreatment with macrolide antibiotics except for roxithromycin significantly stimulated the macrophage phagocytosis of beads, macrophage chemotaxis to LPS, and macrophage cytocidal activity against Candida albicans. These results suggest that macrolide antibiotics stimulate macrophage functions.