Effect of granulocyte colony stimulating factor on myeloid-derived suppressor cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood: a preliminary study / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) on myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the bone marrow and peripheral blood, and explore the relationship between MDSC and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Bone marrow, peripheral blood and peripheral blood stem cells were obtained from 12 healthy hemopoietic stem cell donors before and on day 5 after G-CSF mobilization. Flow cytometry was employed to examine the number of MDSC, and the relationship between MDSC number and the incidence of GVHD was analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In normal physiological conditions, MDSC could be detected in the peripheral blood and bone marrow with a cell percentages of (1.35±0.35)% and (2.44±1.11)%, respectively, showing a significantly higher cell percentage in the bone marrow (P=0.015). On the 5th day after G-CSF mobilization, the percentage of MDSCs increased to (4.01±1.82)% in the peripheral blood and to (4.38±2.19)% in the bone marrow, showing no significant difference between them (P=0.083). The mobilization caused a significant increase in the number of MDSCs in the peripheral blood (P=0.047) but not in the bone marrow (P=0.761). The number of MDSCs in the collected samples showed a significant inverse correlation to the incidence of GVHD (P=0.048).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>MDSCs are present in the peripheral blood and bone marrow of healthy donors, with a greater number in the bone marrow. G-CSF can mobilize the MDSCs from the bone marrow to the peripheral blood to increase number of MDSCs in the peripheral blood, which may contribute to a lowered incidence of GVHD in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).</p>

Clinical implications of HLA-G protein expression in acute leukemia / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect the expression of membrane-bound HLA-G (mHLA-G) and serum HLA-G (sHLA-G) in acute leukemia patients and investigate the correlation between HLA-G expression and the occurrence and development of acute leukemia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry were used to detect the expression levels of sHLA-G and mHLA-G in 40 newly diagnosed leukemia cases, 10 refractory and relapsed leukemia cases, and 30 leukemia cases receiving chemotherapy. Ten normal individuals served as the normal control group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean serum level of sHLA-G in normal individuals was 5.87±2.07 ng/ml, as compared to 10.05±6.58 ng/ml in newly diagnosed leukemia patients and 12.32±5.85 ng/ml in refractory and relapsed cases. The mean level of mHLA-G in normal individuals, newly diagnosed cases, and refractory and relapsed cases were (0.29±0.20)%, (0.60±0.44)%, and (0.77±0.41)%, respectively. The mean levels of sHLA-G and mHLA-G were significantly higher in the newly diagnosed cases than that in the normal controls (P<0.05), and significantly higher in patients before chemotherapy than in those with complete remission after chemotherapy (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HLA-G expression levels might influence the treatment outcomes and can serve as a prognostic factor for acute leukemia.</p>