Potential Role for Human Colony-Stimulating Factors in the Treatment of Radiation Injuries

Abstract

Hematopoiesis in humans appears to be controlled by a series of growth factors that are responsible for accelerating the proliferation and lineage-specific differentiation of committed progenitors. More than 10 factors acting at different and overlapping steps of hematopoietic differentiation have now been identified, molecularly cloned, expressed in vitro, and, in some cases, evaluated in primates and in the clinical setting. Because it has been shown clinically that growth factors can enhance hematopoietic reconstitution in patients with severe bone marrow injury, these factors have potential for treating radiation injury. This review explores the biological and biochemical as well as the clinical aspects of the colony-stimulating factors (CSF’s) currently in clinical use, particularly in relation to the treatment of nuclear accident injuries.