The effects in vivo of purified preparations of murine macrophage colony stimulating factor-1, recombinant murine granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor and natural and recombinant murine interleukin 3 without and with pretreatment of mice with purified iron-saturated human lactoferrin.

The influence of purified natural colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1), purified recombinant granulocyte-macrophage (GM)-CSF, purified recombinant interleukin 3 (IL3) and natural IL3 were assessed in mice that were untreated or pretreated with purified iron-saturated human lactoferrin (LF) in order to first suppress myelopoiesis in the mice. S1/S1d mice responded to recombinant GM-CSF and recombinant IL3 in a manner similar to the response of their +/+ littermates. These 4 factors increased the cycling status of hematopoietic progenitors in vivo. The effects were more noticeable if myelopoiesis was first decreased by LF. The effects do not appear to be due to endotoxin contamination. It cannot be discerned from these studies whether the effects are direct ones on the progenitor cells or indirect ones mediated through growth-factor releasing accessory cells. It is possible that effects can be both direct and indirect.