A moderate marrow granulocytic hyperplasia developed after 4 injections of glucan (soluble derivative carboxymethylglucan) administered to mice at 3-4-day intervals. However, when evaluating the response of the marrow granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFC) to the fifth glucan injection given in the repetitive treatment schedule, the development of hyporesponsiveness of these cells was found, contrary to the stimulatory action of a single glucan injection. In addition, the prompt increase in serum granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating activity occurring after a single glucan injection, and proposed to upregulate myelopoiesis, was absent in mice treated with glucan repeatedly. A joint administration of glucan with diclofenac, an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis, was able to enhance the GM-CFC response to a single glucan injection, probably due to the removal of the downregulation action of prostaglandins on these progenitor cells. However, a repeated administration of diclofenac with glucan did not reduce substantially the development of GM-CFC hyporesponsiveness. Thus, the results suggest that the GM-CFC hyporesponsiveness or tolerance to repeated glucan injections was induced by weakening the mechanisms of positive control mediated by the serum colony-stimulating activity.

Institute of Biophysics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno

Modulation of animal and human hematopoiesis by β-glucans: a review