SUMMARYCiprofloxacin (ClP)isa quinolonccarboxylicacid derivative with a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. CIP (01-30 /jg/ml) enhanced DNA synthesis of mouse spleen eells and human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) that had been activated with T eell mitogens or with alloaiitigens. In addition, CIP increased thc amount of IL-2 found in thc supernatants of phylohaemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated human PBL, The presence of CIP in the medium ({)-3-IO /(g/ml) increased the levels of IL-1 found in Ihe eulture supernatants of adherence-enriched mouse macrophages. human monocyte/maerophages and a human monocytie cell line stimulated with lipopolysaecharide. In contrast there was no effeet of CIP on Ihe release of IL-I by freshly isolated human monocytes or by cells ofthe keratinocyte line, A431. CIP alone had no influence on the basal release of 1 L-2 by NOB-I cells, a Teell line that responds to IL-1 with an increase in lL-2 synthesis, but. in combination with recombinant IL-I, CIP significantly enhanced the release of IL-2 by these cells. The results ofthis study suggest that CIP modulates the immune response at two levels -the production of IL-2 by activated Tcells and the production of IL-1 by aeliva ted monocyte/maerophages. However, CIP did not affect the primary antibody response in vitro or in vivo against sheep erythroeytes and ovalbumin respectively. Thus the enhancing action of ciprofloxacin on the immune system appears to be restricted to T cell funciion and macrophagc/T cell interactions.

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Antisera raised against idiotypic determinants (ID) of myeloma proteins and macroglobulins have been used to differentiate peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) populations from individual patients. ID-positive lymphocytes not resembling plasma cells have been regularly found in peripheral blood in these diseases. For further characterization ID-positive lymphocytes were enriched from the peripheral blood by affinity chromatography using heterologous anti-idiotypic sera. Two patients with IgG myeloma, one patient with Waldenström's macroglobulinaemia and two persons with benign monoclonal hyperglobulinaemia (BMH) were examined by this technique. The ID-positive PBL population was shown to be heterogeneous with respect to non-tumour-specific surface markers, such as sheep erythrocytes (SRBC), Fc and C receptors. Tumour-specific idiotypic determinants will thus allow a more correct recognition of the total tumour cell compartment in these diseases.

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