AbstractSuperoxide and its derived active oxygen species are responsible for the polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN)-mediated tumoricidal activity which is typically shown in the intraperitoneal administration of OK-432, a biological response modifier, for cancer ascites. We examined the effects of intraperitoneal administration of OK-432 with or without syngeneic serum on superoxide generation from PMNs which migrated in the peritoneal cavity using the new method of Cypridina luciferin analog-dependent chemiluminescence for the detection of superoxide. PMNs harvested from rat peritoneal cavity 6 h after the intraperitoneal administration of OK-432 (0.25KE/kg, or 2.5KE/kg) generated larger amounts of superoxide than those harvested after intraperitoneal injection of oyster glycogen (75mg/kg) when stimulated by opsonized zymosan or phorbol myristate acetate. Simultaneous intraperitoneal administration of OK-432 and syngeneic serum induced a greater increase in PMN superoxide generation than OK-432 alone, which was reversed by a complement activation inhibitor (MX-1). Simultaneous injection of OK-432 and heat-inactivated syngeneic serum did not exhibit a significant increase in PMN superoxide generation as compared with OK-432 alone. These results provide pharmacological evidence to the satisfactory therapeutic effects of the intraperitoneal administration of OK-432 with or without serum for patients with cancer ascites, and indicate that complements, in particular C5a, are involved in this enhanced PMN-derived superoxide generation induced by the simultaneous injection of OK-432 and serum.