International Journal of Cell Cloning, Vol 4, 74-81, Copyright © 1986 by AlphaMed Press
Burst-promoting activity in anemia and polycythemia
H Fukamachi, A Urabe, T Saito, F Takaku and M Kubota
Burst-promoting activity (BPA) in the sera of patients with various types
of anemia and polycythemia was compared with that of normal subjects by an
in vitro method using mouse bone marrow cells. The control culture
contained normal human AB serum instead of sample materials. Results were
expressed as a percentage of burst numbers in control cultures. Serum
erythropoietin (Epo) levels were determined by a radioimmunoassay. Serum
BPA in patients with aplastic anemia (155.4 +/- 56.7%, mean +/- SD) was
significantly higher than that in normal subjects (112.1 +/- 29.1%,
Wilcoxon's rank sum test, P less than 0.05). However, serum BPA in patients
with uremic anemia (122.2 +/- 26.5%), polycythemia vera (101.9 +/- 19.5%)
and stress polycythemia (115.5 +/- 25.6%) was not significantly different
from normal subjects. There was a correlation between serum BPA and Epo
titers in patients with aplastic anemia and paroxysmal nocturnal
hemoglobinuria (r = 0.81, t test, P less than 0.001).
