Treatment of BCL-1 murine B-cell leukemia with recombinant cytokines. Comparative analysis of the anti-leukemic potential of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta), interleukin 2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and their combination.

Murine BCL-1 B-cell leukemia provides a model of disseminated human B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL). This model was used to evaluate and compare the anti-leukemic efficacy of recombinant cytokines rIL-1 beta, rIL-2, rIL-6, rTNF alpha, rG-CSF, rGM-CSF and their combinations. Of these 6 cytokines tested, rG-CSF, rIL-1 beta, rIL-2, and rTNF alpha exerted a marked anti-leukemia/lymphoma activity, as reflected by significantly improved survival of treated mice after inoculation of BCL-1 cells. Notably, no additive or synergistic effects were observed when 2-4 cytokines were used in combination. To our knowledge, this report represents the first comparative analysis of recombinant cytokine treatment regimens in an animal model of disseminated B-lineage ALL/NHL.