Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a growth factor and an essential cytokine belonging to the CSF family of hormone-like glycoproteins that regulate haematopoietic cell proliferation and differentiation. G-CSF was isolated initially as a factor supporting the growth of colonies of granulocytes in soft agar cultures. Cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage are among the most prominent sources of G-CSF, but this factor can also be produced by normal cells of mesodermal origin, in