INTRODUCTION: Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) mobilization is impaired in patients receiving chemotherapy but, as far as we know there is no data about the impact of chemotherapy on different PB progenitor cell subpopulations.

AIM: to ascertain whether or not immature or committed progenitor cell are affected by chemotherapy prior PBSC mobilization in NHL patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: a total of 27 PB samples from NHL patients and 36 PB samples from healthy donors were studied. Immunophenotypic analysis of CD34+ cell subpopulations was performed using the following four colour combinations of monoclonal antibodies (FITC/PE/PC5/APC): CD90/CD133/CD38/CD34 and CD71/CD13/CD45/CD34. In order to study committed progenitor cells “in vitro”, standard colony-forming assays were used and, in order to investigate the behaviour of the uncommitted progenitors Delta Assays of plastic adherent progenitor cells (PΔ) were performed.

RESULTS: The comparison between NHL patients and healthy donors is shown in Table 1. The relationship between data obtained by flow cytometry and cultures was statistically significant (p<0.05, r>0.568) for all the progenitors analysed.

Table 1: Results of Immunophenotypic and Functional Assays

LNH patientsHealthy donorsp
Data expressed as median (range). 1. Percentage among CD34+ cells. 2. Number of CFU/10 5 planted cells. 3. Number of CFU/10 6 planted cells 
 % CD34 0.16(0.04–3.65) 0.57(0.11–1.81) 0.013 
Immunophenotypic Data Erithroid 1 0.05(0.01–0.60) 0.14(0.02–0.42) 0.098 
 Myelo–monocytic 1 0.11(0.02–2.41) 0.37(0.07–1.18) 0.014 
 Immature 1 0.01(0.00–0.63) 0.05(0.01–0.19) 0.014 
 CFU-GM 2 70(4–440) 90(0–904) 0.327 
Clonogenic and Delta Assays data BFU-E 2 62(6–172) 85(0–240) 0.046 
 CFU-Mix 2 18(0–124) 42(0–140) 0.018 
 CFU Δ3 356(0–3509) 953(90–8320) 0.033 
LNH patientsHealthy donorsp
Data expressed as median (range). 1. Percentage among CD34+ cells. 2. Number of CFU/10 5 planted cells. 3. Number of CFU/10 6 planted cells 
 % CD34 0.16(0.04–3.65) 0.57(0.11–1.81) 0.013 
Immunophenotypic Data Erithroid 1 0.05(0.01–0.60) 0.14(0.02–0.42) 0.098 
 Myelo–monocytic 1 0.11(0.02–2.41) 0.37(0.07–1.18) 0.014 
 Immature 1 0.01(0.00–0.63) 0.05(0.01–0.19) 0.014 
 CFU-GM 2 70(4–440) 90(0–904) 0.327 
Clonogenic and Delta Assays data BFU-E 2 62(6–172) 85(0–240) 0.046 
 CFU-Mix 2 18(0–124) 42(0–140) 0.018 
 CFU Δ3 356(0–3509) 953(90–8320) 0.033 
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CONCLUSIONS: We can conclude that in NHL, mobilized committed and above all immature progenitors are impaired when compared with healthy subjects, both analysed by immunological and functional assays. Only granulomonocytic progenitors analysed by a functional approach seemed to be preserved.

Topics:
alanine aminopeptidase, cd34 antigens, cd45 antigens, chemotherapy regimen, donors, flow cytometry, fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate, lymphoma, non-hodgkin, monoclonal antibodies, stem cells

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Corresponding author

2005, The American Society of Hematology
2004
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