Skip to main content
PMC home page
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1979 Mar;35(3):478–483.

The in vitro evaluation of certain neutrophil and lymphocyte functions following the ingestion of 150 mg oral dose of levamisole: assessment of the extent and duration of stimulation of neutrophil chemotaxis, protein iodination and lymphocyte transformation.

R Anderson, R Oosthuizen, A Theron, A J Van Rensburg
PMCID: PMC1537622  PMID: 455786

Abstract

Certain functions of human blood neutrophils and lymphocytes were investigated at varying time intervals after the ingestion of a single 150 mg dose of levamisole. The functions tested were neutrophil chemotaxis and post-phagocytic metabolic activity and mitogen-induced DNA and protein synthesis of lymphocytes. It was found that levamisole causes a stimulation of neutrophils motility (cell- and serum-associated) and post-phagocytic hexose monophosphate shunt activity and protein iodination. Increased lymphocyte DNA synthesis, but not protein synthesis, to the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin was observed. The stimulation which was detected almost immediately of these neutrophil and lymphocyte functions was still evident 24 hr later but not at 48 hr, indicating that a single oral dose of levamisole can cause the alteration (stimulation) of leucocyte functions which persists until 24--48 hr after intake of the drug.

Full text

PDF
478

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson R., Glover A., Koornhof H. J., Rabson A. R. In vitro stimulation of neutrophil motility by levamisole: maintenance of cgmp levels in chemotactically stimulated levamisole-treated neutrophils. J Immunol. 1976 Aug;117(2):428–432. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anderson R., Glover A., Rabson A. R. The effect of chemotactic factors and agents which influence neutrophil movement on anaerobic glycolysis and hexose monophosphate shunt activity. Immunology. 1978 Jul;35(1):141–149. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Copeland D., Stewart T., Harris J. Effect of levamisole (NSC-177023) on in vitro human lymphocyte transformation. Cancer Chemother Rep. 1974 Mar-Apr;58(2):167–170. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. De Cree J., Emmery L., Timmermans J., Eeckels R., De Cock W., Verhaegen H. Defective neutrophil chemotaxis and raised serum ige levels in a child with recurrent bacterial infections and eczema. Influence of levamisole. Arch Dis Child. 1978 Feb;53(2):144–149. doi: 10.1136/adc.53.2.144. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. De Cree J., Verhaegen H., De Cock W., Vanheule R., Brugmans J., Schuermans V. Letter: Impaired neutrophil phagocytosis. Lancet. 1974 Aug 3;2(7875):294–295. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)91464-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hadden J. W., Coffey R. G., Hadden E. M., Lopez-Corrales E., Sunshine G. H. Effects of levamisole and imidazole on lymphocyte proliferation and cyclic nucleotide levels. Cell Immunol. 1975 Nov;20(1):98–103. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(75)90088-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hoebeke J., Franchi G. Influence of tetramisole and its optical isomers on the mononuclear phagocytic system. Effect on carbon clearance in mice. J Reticuloendothel Soc. 1973 Sep;14(3):317–323. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Molin L., Stendahl O. Enhancing effect of levamisole on the phagocytic activity of human neutrophil polymorphonuclear leucocytes in vitro. Scand J Haematol. 1977 Jul;19(1):93–98. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0609.1977.tb02724.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Oliveira Lima A., Javierre M. Q., Dias da Silva W., Sette Camara D. Immunological phagocytosis: effect of drugs on phosphodiesterase activity. Experientia. 1974 Aug 15;30(8):945–946. doi: 10.1007/BF01938377. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Pike M. C., Snyderman R. Augmentation of human monocyte chemotactic response by levamisole. Nature. 1976 May 13;261(5556):136–137. doi: 10.1038/261136a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Rabson A. R., Whiting D. A., Anderson R., Glover A., Koornhof H. J. Depressed neutrophil motility in patients with recurrent herpes simplex virus infections: in vitro restoration with levamisole. J Infect Dis. 1977 Jan;135(1):113–116. doi: 10.1093/infdis/135.1.113. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ramot B., Biniaminov M., Shoham C., Rosenthal E. Effect of levamisole on E-rosette-forming cells in vivo and in vitro in Hodgkin's disease. N Engl J Med. 1976 Apr 8;294(15):809–811. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197604082941504. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Repine J. E., Douglas S. D. Effect of levamisole on morphology, bactericidal activity, and metabolism of human neutrophils in vitro. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1977 Dec;156(3):527–530. doi: 10.3181/00379727-156-39972. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Root R. K., Stossel T. P. Myeloperoxidase-mediated iodination by granulocytes. Intracellular site of operation and some regulating factors. J Clin Invest. 1974 May;53(5):1207–1215. doi: 10.1172/JCI107667. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Segal A. W., Levi A. J., Loewi G. Levamisole in the treatment of Crohn's disease. Lancet. 1977 Aug 20;2(8034):382–385. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(77)90307-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. WOOD H. G., KATZ J., LANDAU B. R. ESTIMATION OF PATHWAYS OF CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM. Biochem Z. 1963;338:809–847. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Wachi K. K., Kimura L. H., Perreira S., Hokama Y., Perri S., Palumbo N. Effect of levamisole and C-reactive protein on mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes in vitro. Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol. 1974 Aug;8(4):681–696. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Woods W. A., Siegel M. J., Chirigos M. A. In vitro stimulation of spleen cell cultures by poly I: poly C and levamisole. Cell Immunol. 1974 Nov;14(2):327–331. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(74)90217-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Wright D. G., Kirkpatrick C. H., Gallin J. I. Effects of levamisole on normal and abnormal leukocyte locomotion. J Clin Invest. 1977 May;59(5):941–950. doi: 10.1172/JCI108716. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wybran J., Govaerts A. Levamisole and human lymphocyte cultures. Eur J Cancer. 1977 Apr-May;13(4-5):469–471. doi: 10.1016/0014-2964(77)90104-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Zigmond S. H., Hirsch J. G. Leukocyte locomotion and chemotaxis. New methods for evaluation, and demonstration of a cell-derived chemotactic factor. J Exp Med. 1973 Feb 1;137(2):387–410. doi: 10.1084/jem.137.2.387. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES