INFLUENCE OF DELIVERY ON NUMBERS OF LEUKOCYTES, LEUKOCYTE SUBPOPULATIONS, AND HEMATOPOIETIC PROGENITOR CELLS IN HUMAN UMBILICAL-CORD BLOOD

Human umbilical cord blood (UCB) may be used as an alternative source of bone marrow repopulating cells in allogeneic bone marrow transplant ation, The quality and quantity of UCB harvests for transplantation is affected by several factors, In this study we analyzed the influence of delivery, in particular stress during delivery, on the numbers of l eukocytes and leukocyte subsets in UCB, Four groups of women with diff erent types of deliveries were included in the study, and from each gr oup samples of UCB were analyzed, Blood samples from healthy adults we re used as control, In UCB there was a higher absolute number of leuko cytes than in peripheral blood (PB), UCB leukocytes were highest after deliveries with a prolonged second stage of labor, which was mainly d ue to granulocytosis, The percentage of T cells in UCB was lower than in PB, in particular when stress during delivery was higher, In all gr oups, however, the absolute concentration of T cells per milliliter of UCB was higher than in adult PB, The differences in T cells in stress ful deliveries were mainly due to a relative decrease in CD3(+)/CD4(+) cells in UCB, The relative frequency and absolute concentration of th e CD56(+) cell population in UCB was higher than in PB, which was most ly due to an increase of CD2(-)/CD56(+) cells, in particular in stress ful deliveries, The absolute number of CD34(+) cells as well as hemato poietic progenitor cells as determined in semisolid medium cultures wa s high in UCB and was increased in cases of prolonged secondary stage of labor, This study demonstrates that the quality of UCB transplants is influenced by the course of delivery, in particular by stress durin g delivery.