The effect of liver macrophages on in vitro cytolytic activity of 5FU and FUdR on colon carcinoma cells: evidence of macrophage activation.

While investigating the effects of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FUdR) on the tumoricidal state of rat liver macrophages activated in vitro by means of liposome-encapsulated muramyl dipeptide (MDP), we observed that 5FU in combination with macrophages produced substantially higher extents of cytolytic activity on tumor cells than 5FU alone. In contrast, FUdR failed to produce this effect; rather, at relatively low FUdR concentrations, lytic activity in the presence of macrophages was even significantly diminished as compared with FUdR in the absence of macrophages. Both 5FU and FUdR were able to enhance the cytolytic activity of macrophages activated by liposome-encapsulated MDP. This finding indicates that, rather than inhibiting the activation of macrophages by liposomal MDP, 5FU can act as a stimulator of macrophage activation by itself. This is further supported by the observations that (i) in combination with 5FU, the secretion of TNF induced by liposomal MDP was synergistically enhanced and (ii) that a second treatment of macrophages with the drug, 24 h after the first, fails to produce increased macrophage cytotoxicity. Our results also show that neither 5FU nor FUdR are likely to unfavorably influence the induction of cytotoxic activity of the macrophages. Rather, combinations of 5FU or FUdR and liposomal MDP may result in an additive or synergistic tumoricidal effect.