[Immunopharmacological actions of neurotropin (4). Effect of neurotropin on mouse peritoneal macrophages].

It was reported that neurotropin (NSP), an extract isolated from the inflamed skins of rabbits inoculated with vaccinia virus, activates murine T cell functions participating in cell-mediated immunity. The present study was undertaken to examine the effect of NSP on plastic dish-adherent macrophages (M phi) from ddY mice in vitro. Total activities of beta-glucuronidase and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase in resident peritoneal M phi was slightly enhanced when the M phi were cultured with NSP (10-1000 micrograms/ml) for 48 and 96 hr, but no enhancement was noted in 24 hr culture. Intracellular activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was also strongly enhanced in a dose-dependent manner by culturing with NSP for 48 and 96 hr. The enhanced LDH activity in the M phi cultured with NSP for 96 hr was completely inhibited by cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis. In addition, consumption of glucose in the culture media by the M phi was also enhanced by culturing with NSP for 96 hr. Intracellular activity of LDH and glucose consumption of plastic dish-nonadherent cells from normal mouse peritoneal cells, however, was not enhanced by NSP in 96 hr culture. In regard to allogeneic M phi-mediated cytostatic activity to P815-X2 mastocytoma, NSP had no effect on cytostatic activities of the resident and thioglycollate-induced M phi, although NSP by itself dose-dependently inhibited the growth of P815-X2 mastocytoma without affecting cell viability. These results suggest that NSP biochemically activates mouse peritoneal M phi in vitro, but the M phi activated by NSP can not inhibit the growth of P815-X2 mastocytoma.