Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor

Macrophage colony-stimulating factor is present in normal plasma at levels of 100-200 units(U)/ml. Malignant T cells also produce macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) on induction, and the T helper cell line HUT 102 constitutively produces M-CSF, probably because viral proteins expressed by integrated HTLV-1 function as trans-acting transcriptional activators inducing constitutive M-CSF and granulocyte—monocyte colony-stimulating factor production. Constitutive M-CSF production has been reported in primary nasal epithelial cells isolated from the upper airways and continuous epithelial cells lines from normal persons and from patients with cystic fibrosis. In contrast with synovial fibroblasts, chrondrocyte M-CSF production was inhibited by anti-inflammatory corticosteroids, but by cyclooxygenase inhibitors. F Macrophage colony-stimulating factor may play an important intrathecal immunoregulatory role in neoplastic and infectious diseases of the central nervous system. Atherogenesis is characterized by the proliferation of smooth-muscle cells, macrophages, and lymphocytes in the artery wall, and the accumulation of cholesterol and cholesterol esters in the surrounding connective tissue matrix and associated cells.