Carrimycin May Enhance Immune Response in Patients With Tumors and Sepsis

In a recent study, carrimycin demonstrated immune-modulating effects in patients with tumors who have sepsis, leading to improved immune function and reduced disease severity.

Sepsis remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with tumors, often exacerbated by immunosuppression, which can complicate these patients’ response to infection and can impact recovery. Current treatments are limited, and immune-modulating therapies may offer new avenues to improve outcomes. This study aimed to assess carrimycin's potential to regulate immune function and mitigate inflammatory responses in patients with tumors and sepsis.

Researchers randomized 99 patients with tumors and sepsis to receive either 400 mg/day of carrimycin (n = 47) or a placebo (n = 52) for 7 days. Immune function indicators, such as human leucocyte antigen (HLA-DR) and cytotoxic lymphocyte (CD8+ T cell) levels, were the primary outcomes. Participants were also placed into subgroups based on cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) and cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8) levels. Participants with less than 38.25% of CD4+ T cells in the patient’s total lymphocyte count were included in the former group, and participants with less than 25.195% of CD8+ T cells in their total lymphocyte count were included in the latter group.

Results showed that carrimycin rapidly increased HLA-DR levels, with a marked difference observed as early as day 1 after administration in comparison to the placebo group, which exhibited an initial decline. In the CD4 subgroup, patients treated with carrimycin had significantly higher HLA-DR levels than those in the placebo group (2.270, P = .023) at day 1. Additionally, the increase in HLA-DR was greater in the carrimycin group than in the placebo group (2.057, P = .040). In the CD8 subgroup, carrimycin resulted in significantly higher CD8+ T cell levels compared to placebo at days 3 (2.300, P = .027) and 5 (2.106, P = .035). Patients treated with carrimycin also demonstrated significant reductions in Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiologic Assessment and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores, as well as lower procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, all indicating reduced sepsis severity.

One limitation of this study is the relatively small sample size. Additionally, the duration of follow-up was limited to 7 days, so longer-term effects of carrimycin on immune function and sepsis outcomes are unknown.

“In tumor patients with sepsis, particularly in those experiencing immunological suppression, carrimycin effectively regulates immune responses by increasing HLA-DR and CD8+ T cell levels and plays an anti-infective role, reducing disease severity,” the study authors concluded.

Reference:
Nan C, Zhang X, Huan W, et al. Effects of carrimycin on biomarkers of inflammation and immune function in tumor patients with sepsis. Pharmacol Res. 2023;198:106991. doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106991.