Autologous umbilical cord blood mononuclear cell transfusion in preterm children:immune function and prognosis / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:The umbilical cord blood is rich in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cel s that have strong proliferation and differentiation ability as wel as ability to form colonies, and exert important roles in stimulating bone marrow function, improving blood cel viability and quantity, promoting immune cel maturation, and maintaining immune balance. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the clinical effects of autologous umbilical cord blood mononuclear cel transplantation on the immunologic function and prognosis for premature infants. METHODS:Sixty-two preterm infants who entered into NICU immediately after birth, weighing ≤ 1 500 g, were divided into treatment group and control group according to parent’s wil ingness. In the treatment group, the umbilical cord blood was extracted from the umbilical vein and re-infused into the preterm infants after density gradient centrifugation within 4 hours. The cel ular immunity levels, humoral immunity levels and clinical parameters were monitored before and after treatment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After 1 week of treatment, the CD4, CD4/CD8 levels were significantly increased compared with the control group (P=0.01, 0.03), but CD8 level had no changes. At 1 week after treatment, IgM levels were both increased in the two groups, especial y in the control group (P=0.00);IgA levels had no changes;IgG levels were decreased, especial y in the control group (P=0.02). The incidence of severe infection during hospitalization was 13%in the treatment group, which was lower than the control group (16%), but there was no difference between the two groups. The proportion of infants undergoing mechanical ventilation and average length of stay had significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). After 12 months, the incidence of recurrent respiratory tract infections was zero in the treatment group and one case in the control group, and there was a significant difference between the two groups. These findings indicate that autologous umbilical cord blood mononuclear cel transplantation can improve the immunologic function, slower the reduction of IgG levels, reduce the usage of breathing machine, shorten the length of stay, and reduce the incidence of recurrent respiratory tract infections in preterm infants.