Effects of erythromycin, josamycin and spiramycin on rat polymorphonuclear leukocyte chemotaxis

The effects of three macrolide antibiotics were studied on rat polymorphonuclear leukocyte chemotaxis. Rats were given 25 mg/kg twice a day of either erythromycin, josamycin or spiramycin by gastric intubation for 5 days. In all cases, chemotaxis was found to be impaired by 10-20% only. As macrolides are known to reach high intracellular concentrations within polymorphonuclear leukocytes, our results suggest that these antibiotics are unlikely to exert a deleterious influence on the chemotactic response of treated patients.