Objectives: G-CSF is a stimulatory factor of granulocyte colony formation. In vitro and in vivo G-CSF stimulates the proliferation of granulocyte precursors and enhances phagocytic functions of mature cells. Indirect evidence of this might be the increase of the activity of granulocyte enzymes participating in phagocytosis.
Design: The aim of this study was to compare in vivo the level of G-CSF in the plasma and the activity of: alkaline phosphatase (AP), acid phosphatase(AcP), peroxidase(MPO) and esterase in the granulocytes of breast cancer patients.
Materials and methods: The activities of tested enzymes were measured by cytochemical methods in the blood of 10 patients with breast cancer before and 30 days after operation and in 10 healthy subject. GSF level was measured using a sensitive sandwich ELISA.
Conclusions: 1. On the basis of the obtained results we can conclude that G-CSF level was increased in cancer patients (18.30 pg/ml before operation and 20.70 pg/ml after operation) compared to the control group (15.73 pg/ml). This results suggest that G-CSF may be synthesized by phagocytic cells and/or cancer cells. 2. AP activity was decreased after surgery (135.00 score) in comparison to the activities before operation (182.3 score). 3. AcP (213.6 score), MPO (364.6 score) and esterase (184.2 score) activities were significantly increased after surgery in comparison to the activities before operation: AcP 188.6 score, MPO 316.3 score, esterase 154.8 score. 4. These results suggest that activities of tested enzymes might be dependent on G-CSF plasma level.