Macrophage growth factor CSF-1 stimulates human monocyte production of interferon, tumor necrosis factor, and colony stimulating activity.

CSF-1, a macrophage colony stimulating factor that causes proliferation and differentiation of progenitor cells, may also have effects on mature cells. Human peripheral blood monocytes were used to examine this possibility. Monocytes, separated from normal blood by density centrifugation and adherence, were incubated for 3 days with or without CSF-1 (1,000 U/ml, purified from the MIA PaCa pancreatic carcinoma line). The two groups of cells were then washed and tested for the ability, when induced, to produce several factors. When induced for 2 days with LPS and PMA, the monocytes produced a factor that was cytotoxic to L929 cells, and this factor was completely neutralized by polyclonal antibody to tumor necrosis factor. The cells preincubated with CSF-1 consistently produced an average of 12 times more of this factor than cells not exposed to CSF-1. Monocytes induced with LPS and PMA also produced a colony stimulating activity, as measured by colony formation when using mouse bone marrow. Cells preincubated with CSF-1, washed, and induced with LPS and PMA produced more than three times as much activity compared with control monocytes. When monocytes were induced with poly-I.C, 22-fold higher levels of interferon were produced by the cells exposed to CSF-1. These results show that CSF-1 has direct stimulating effects on mature human monocytes, and suggest that the macrophage growth factor may have clinical application in the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer.