Some Immunohematological Effects of Ukrain

I. V. VOLTCHEK,* J. W. NOWICKY, N. N. ZOLOTUKHIN, M. V. KAMYSHENTSEV, A. G. MIROSHNICHENKO, A. L. LESCHEV, and A. N. BELSKIKH

State Institute of Advanced Medical Studies. AVALANCHE, Ltd.,* and
Military Medical Academy. St. Petersburg, Russia, and
Ukrainian Anti-Cancer Institute, Vienna. Austria

In the last years we have received convincing facts about the significant role of mononuclear phagocytes not only in neoplastic processes but also in chronicity of internal diseases and unfavorable courses of acute ones (3,7). For example, disorders of mononuclear phagocytes are a factor facilitating development and fatal outcome of pneumonia in patients with acute leukemia (6). Ukrain, a semisynthetic thiophosphoric acid compound of alkaloids isolated from Chelidonium majus L., is a well-known malignotoxic and immunomodulating agent (4). It was found that Ukrain induced activation of tumoricidal function of peritoneal exudate macrophages from tumor-bearing, but not from normal, mice (5). However, the influence of Ukrain on the functional activity of monocytes and other cells, erythrocytes for example, of cancer patients is still unknown.