The purpose of our study was to investigate the susceptibility of human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells to lysis by human peripheral-blood monocytes following activation with biological response modifiers (BRM) and to lysis by various BRMs directly. Cytotoxic effects were determined using a monocyte-/BRM-mediated tumor cytotoxicity assay. Human peripheral-blood monocytes from healthy donors were activated in vitro by incubation for 24 h with different BRMs such as gamma- and beta-interferon (gamma, beta-IFN), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), muramyldipeptide (MDP) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in varying concentrations and combinations. Seven human GBM cell lines as well as an adenocarcinoma brain metastasis cell line and a malignant melanoma cell line served as target cells. Radiolabeled target cells were cocultivated with activated monocytes or with BRMs directly. Cytotoxicity was calculated after 72 h of cocultivation. High levels of cytotoxicity were mediated by monocytes activated with beta-IFN in six out of eight brain tumor cell lines and with TNF-alpha in five cell lines. The combination of two BRMs, in particular the combination of gamma-IFN + beta-IFN and gamma-IFN + TNF-alpha, was associated with an enhanced monocyte mediated lysis exceeding LPS control, whereas the combination of gamma-IFN + MDP was very effective against the metastasis cell line. Monocyte-mediated cytotoxicity against tumor target cells was up to ten fold higher than direct cytotoxicity of soluble BRMs. Our data indicate that BRM-stimulated peripheral-blood monocytes exert cytotoxic properties against human glioblastoma cells in vitro, which exceed those of BRMs alone up to ten fold. The higher tumoricidal activities observed after stimulation with combined BRMs suggest mutual promoting mechanisms of BRMs acting on the stimulation of lyctic activity in human peripheral blood monocytes.