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Haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in human term and preterm neonatal blood
Author(s) -
Li Karen,
Wan Yau Fung,
Fai Fok Tai,
Woon So King,
Kong Li Chi,
Man Pan Yuen Patrick
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
vox sanguinis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.68
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1423-0410
pISSN - 0042-9007
DOI - 10.1046/j.1423-0410.2001.00025.x
Subject(s) - cd34 , progenitor cell , haematopoiesis , stem cell , cord blood , andrology , immunology , transplantation , biology , bone marrow , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology
Background and Objectives Whilst cord blood (CB) contains a significant number of haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells suitable for bone marrow transplantation, levels of these cells are very low in the adult circulation. In previous studies, we demonstrated that stem and progenitor cells are present in neonatal blood (NB) and reported the first sibling transplant using a combination of CB and NB for a patient with β‐thalassaemia major. However, our preliminary data showed that the number of CD34 + cells decreased rapidly in the peripheral blood of neonates soon after birth. To further investigate the mechanism of the change of stem and progenitor cells in NB, we measured the steady‐state levels of CD34 + cells, early progenitor subsets and the expression of adhesion molecules, in term and preterm neonates. Materials and Methods NB was collected serially from infants at 2, 4, 6, 8, 24 and 48 h after birth and was analysed by three‐colour flow cytometry. Results Our results demonstrated that the number of CD34 + cells rapidly decreased in term NB, particularly during the first 2–6 h of life, by 29·2 ± 5·55% ( P = 0·0003) in absolute counts/ml. A decrease was observed in all subsets of CD34 + cells studied, including the CD33 + , CD71 + , CD62L + and CD49d + populations. In contrast, the CD34 + cell number increased in preterm infants in the first 8 h of life, before starting to decrease. Significant inverse correlations were observed between gestational age and levels of CD34 + cells ( P = 0·0065, 4‐h collection time‐point). Conclusion Our study suggests that changes in the levels of CD34 + stem and progenitor cells in NB might be triggered by parturition and affected by the gestational age. Our findings confirmed that if targeted as a supplementary source of stem and progenitor cells to CB for transplantation, NB should be collected as soon as possible after birth.