Effect of anticancer drugs on the release of TGF-beta in vitro.

Some conventional and experimental anticancer drugs were tested for their effect on Concanavalin A (Con A)-induced Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-beta) release from BALB/c splenocytes, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced TGF-beta release from Nude mouse splenocytes and BALB/c peritoneal exudate cells stimulated by LPS in vitro. When 5 x 10(6) BALB/c and Nude mouse splenocytes/ml stimulated with 1 microgram/ml Con A, 50ng/ml LPS respectively, and 5 x 10(6)/ml peritoneal exudate cells stimulated with 50ng/ml LPS were incubated with various non-cytotoxic concentrations of the vinca alkaloid Vincristine, there was an inhibition of the release of TGF-beta in culture supernatants of both BALB/c splenocytes and peritoneal exudate cells. But, in Nude mouse Vincristine did not alter the release of TGF-beta. The antitumour antibiotic Bleomycin, the immunoactive peptide FK565 and the immunosuppressive agent Cyclosporin A (CsA) were found to have no effect on the release of TGF-beta from all culture supernatants.