Mt. Labro, ANTIBACTERIAL AGENTS - PHAGOCYTES - NEW CONCEPTS FOR OLD IN IMMUNOMODULATION, International journal of antimicrobial agents, 10(1), 1998, pp. 11-21
The possibility that antibacterial agents, primarily directed against
microorganisms, also modify host functions is widely recognized. While
a knowledge of these non-antimicrobial effects of antibiotics, someti
mes considered as 'side-effects', is necessary to prevent antibiotic-a
ssociated toxicity, the development of drugs derived from antibacteria
l agents for use in non-infectious diseases (e.g. motilins and antidia
betic drugs) is a new field of therapeutic research. Interactions betw
een antibacterial drugs and the immune system may contribute to therap
eutic efficacy in infectious diseases [1,2]. The immune system itself
is a complex pyramid of redundant cellular factors/humoral effectors/m
ediators, whose fine regulation is just beginning to be unraveled. Pha
gocytes, ubiquitous and multifaceted cells are key components of cellu
lar immunity, being involved both in immediate defences against non-se
lf targets (pathogens, tumour cells, exogenous molecules, etc.) and in
the regulation and triggering of specific immune responses. They are
thus, prime targets of immune response modifiers. This review reconsid
ers the widely explored problem of interactions between antibacterial
agents and phagocytes, focusing on future prospects in both infectious
and non-infectious diseases. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V./Internati
onal Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.