Abstract
The hemopoietic potentials of three immunomodulators, Bestatin, OK-432 and Ge-132, were compared in terms of the effects of the drugs on the recovery from cyclophosphamide (CPA) induced myelosuppression, and on autologous CFUs in irradiated mice. The recovery from CPA-induced myelosuppression was significantly accelerated in mice pretreated with Bestatin or OK-432 as compared to mice pretreated with Ge-132 or physiological saline. The effect of OK-432 was somewhat superior to that of Bestatin, but there were no significant differences in the days to nadir and in the days required for the recovery from nadir. Both Bestatin and OK-432 significantly increased the number of autologous CFUs in irradiated mice as compared to Ge-132 and Lentinan. Most chemotherapeutic schedules are divided into four therapeutic phases: induction, consolidation, maintenance and intensification. The last two phases were usually applied to outpatients; therefore, hemopoietic agents, such as Bestatin, which can be orally administrated, may be useful clinically for the prevention of chronic myelosuppression during maintenance and intensification chemotherapy.
