title: Adverse effects of pefloxacin in irradiated C3H/HeN mice: correction with glucan therapy.
abstract: Opportunistic bacterial infections are the predominant cause of death following myelosuppressive radiation exposure. When used alone, a variety of immunomodulators and antibiotics have been reported to reduce radiation-induced death. In these studies, the combined therapeutic effects of the immunomodulator glucan and the quinolone antibiotic pefloxacin were evaluated for survival-enhancing effects in myelosuppressed C3H/HeN mice. Mice were exposed to 7.9 Gy of whole-body 60Co radiation and treated with saline, glucan (250 mg/kg of body weight intravenously, 1 h after irradiation), pefloxacin (64 mg/kg/day orally, days 3 to 24 after irradiation), or glucan plus pefloxacin. Survival 30 days after irradiation in mice receiving these respective treatments was 25, 48, 7, and 85%. Evaluation of granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cell (GM-CFC) recovery in mice receiving these treatments revealed that, compared with recovery in saline-treated mice, glucan stimulated GM-CFC recovery, pefloxacin suppressed GM-CFC recovery, and glucan administered in combination with pefloxacin could override pefloxacin's hemopoietic suppressive effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Hematology, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20889-5603.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Patchen
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brook
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003037:Cobalt Radioisotopes; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004326:Drinking / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005720:Gamma Rays; D005936:Glucans / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006410:Hematopoiesis / Q000187:drug effects; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D015366:Pefloxacin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D003037:Cobalt Radioisotopes; D005936:Glucans; D015366:Pefloxacin