POLYERGA, A BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE MODIFIER ENHANCING T-LYMPHOCYTE-DEPENDENT RESPONSES

Cancer patients are often treated with biological response modifiers t o enhance immunological functions. However, little is known about the actual mechanism of action of many of these substances. Therefore, we were interested in the effect of i.p. treatment with porcine low-molec ular-weight spleen peptides, which are used during supportive cancer t herapy, on lymphoid cell populations and function in mice. After treat ment with 0.5 mu g peptides/kg body weight for 14 consecutive days, ly mphokine secretion and the generation of cytotoxic T-cells were signif icantly enhanced as compared with controls. However, there was no effe ct on the number of cells or the percentage of cells expressing functi onal surface markers in secondary lymphoid organs.