International Journal of Cell Cloning, Vol 1, 464-477, Copyright © 1983 by AlphaMed Press
The effect of steroids and filtration leukapheresis on circulating hematopoietic progenitor cells
JM Heal, CN Abboud, A Brightman, P Rubery, JK Brennan and J Nusbacher
Filtration leukapheresis (FL) in which donors are pretreated with steroids,
induces a rapid neutropenia followed by neutrophilia. To investigate
whether these phenomena are associated with changes in circulating
progenitor cells (CFU-GM and BFU-E), 5 donors who underwent FL following
steroid administration were compared with a control group who received
steroids alone. Steroids alone caused an initial reduction in both
circulating lymphocytes and committed progenitor cells followed by a
rebound above baseline. Among donors undergoing FL, the changes in
lymphocyte counts were identical to the steroid controls and the same early
suppression of progenitor cells also occurred, but the rebound was blunted.
Thus, the neutrophilia that occurs as a result of the FL procedure is not
associated with an increase in circulating progenitor cells; and hence, the
procedure does not appear to be a useful adjunct for increasing the yield
of hematopoietic stem cells from the peripheral blood.
