ABSTRACT

Today new antibuberculous drugs and new combination regiments have been devevoped against the tuberculous resistance. However, the effects of these drugs on the immune system of the host has not been known yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effects of primary antituberculous drugs [isoniazid (INH, 5jug/ml), rifampicine (RIF, 7 ug/ml), pyrazinamide (PZA, 40 ug/ml), ethambutol (EMB, 7 ug/ml), streptomycine (S, 25 ug/ml)], secondary antituberculous drugs [amikacin (A, 24 ug/ml), ofloxacin (OFLX, 2,9 ug/ml), cyclocerine (CYC, 10 ug/ml), para-aminosalicilic acid (PAS, 90 ug/ml), prothionamide (PTH, 1,6 ug/ml), levofloxacin (LVFX, 2,8 ug/ml)] and their combinations at therapeutic concentrations on polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) functions (phagocytic and intracellular killing activity) of 15 healthy young volunteers, whose average age was 25. PMNs were isolated by ficoll-hypaque gradient centrifugation method from venous blood with EDTA (0.1g/ml). Phagocytosis and intracellular killing activity were assayed by modifying Alexander’s method. A and PAS, which are secondary drugs that significantly increased the phagocytic activity, OFLX significantly increased the intracellular killing activity when compared with the control( drug-free) (p<0.05). The other primary and secondary drugs and their combinations did not significantly affect the phagocytic and intracellular killing activity when compared with the control(drug-free) (p>0.05). As a conclusion, the use of antituberculous drugs and their combinations whose possitive effects are known not only on the microorganism but also on the immune system maybe useful in the treatment of patients with tuberculosis by showing stimulatory effect on PMNfunctions.