All issues > Volume 38(6); 1995

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1995;38(6):819-826. Published online June 15, 1995.

Stem Cell Transplantation in Umbilical Cord Blood(II) Characteristics of T-Lymphocyte Subpopulation in Umbilical Cord Blood

Kyung Ha KH Ryu¹, So Young SY Ahn²

¹Department of Pediatrics, Ewha Woman`s University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Phamacology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Purpose
: Homatopoietic stem cells, which have the ability to undergo self-renewal as well as to develop into multipotential differentiations, have been consistantly demonsteraten in human umbilical cord blood. Recently, there have been a few studies using the umbilical cord blood as a source of stem cell transplantation. However it remains unclear whether umbilical cord blood in safe with regards to graft versus host disease.
Methods
: In order to know that umbilical cord blood in proper material for the stem cell transplantation, immunopnenotypes of T-cell (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD3/HLA-DR, and CD/4/CD45RA) in umbilical cord blood were compared with 20 cases of adult peripheral blood by flow cytometry.
Results
: 1) The percentage of CD34+ cells from mononuclear cells in umbilical cord blood and adult peripheral blood were approximately the same, but mononuclear cells in umbilicas cord blood are about 30 times-high than in adult peripheral blood. 2) The percentage of CD3+ cells were scored 23.87 in umbilical cord blood and 43.19 in adult periphral blood.(p<0.05) The CD4+ : CD8+ ratio was increased in cord blood compared with adult pheripheral blood.(p<0.05) 3) CD4+ cord blood lymphocyte which co-expressed the na?e CD45RA were 14.44% compared to 4.31% of adult peripheral blood.(p<0.05) CD3+ co-expressed IL-2 receptor(CD25) were fewer in cord blood(0.86 versus 2.43%) and CD3+ co-expressed the active marker HLA-DR were also fewer.(0.40 versus 4.78)(p<0.05)
Conclusion
: As conclusion, we found that T-lymphocytes in umbilical cord blood, actively associated to GvHD, were immature than adult peripheral blood and also found that it could be used for matched unrelated or partially mismatched transplants. But we have some problems for stem cell transplantation in umbilical cord blood, such as maternal T-lymphocyte contamination, storage method, and graft versus leukemia effect, We anticipated that futher study for this aspects will be done.

Keywords :Stem cell transplantation, T-lymphocyte