The Colony Stimulating Factors (CSFs) are a family of haemopoietic hormones that likely share a common ancestral origin and stimulate white blood cell development. They display unique but overlapping biological functions and stimulate the survival, proliferation, differentiation and functional activation of granulocytes and monocytes/macrophages and their precursor cells in vitro and in vivo. Each hormone has been purified and produced in active recombinant form. Recombinant G-CSF and GM-CSF are now being used around the world in a variety of clinical situations (e.g., in conjunction with chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation) to promote the formation and function of these leukocytes. These molecules are among the first of a new generation of biological agents that will impact enormously on clinical medicine.
Matched MeSH terms: Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor/therapeutic use
Drug-induced agranulocytosis is a potentially fatal complication despite advances in supportive care. A patient with carbimazole-induced agranulocytosis associated with marked depletion of granulocytic precursors in the marrow was treated with granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) at a dose of 5 micrograms/kg subcutaneously daily for one week. The absolute neutrophil count rose above 1 x 10(9)/L after one week of GM-CSF therapy. The GM-CSF probably expedited the recovery of the neutrophil count. Further studies are warranted to delineate the role of GM-CSF in the treatment of drug-induced agranulocytosis.