COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF HEMATOPOIETIC PRECURSORS FROM FETAL AND ADULT BONE-MARROW - UTILIZATION OF STEM-CELLS DERIVED FROM MISCARRIAGES

Hemopoietic and immune capacities of fetal bone marrow (FBM) obtained from 2nd-trimester lost pregnancies and adult bone marrow (ABM) were c ompared. Progenitor cell assays for both sources were also enumerated. Our data showed ontogeny-related functional differences between hemop oietic cells, particularly in the ability to produce CD34(+) cells (24 .6% in FBM, 3.1% in ABM). The phenotypic composition of FBM and ABM we re quite different. The clonogenic/proliferative potentials, as measur ed by CFU-C assays, were significantly higher in FBM when compared to ABM (202.5 vs. 73.5/10(5) cells). Moreover, FBM had a lower percentage of CD3(+) T lymphocytes as compared to ABM(1.47 vs. 7.58), and there was a significantly decreased proliferative responsiveness in mixed ly mphocyte reactions of FBM as compared to ABM. Thus, our data clearly s howed distinct advantages of FBM over ABM, which include a higher numb er of stem cells, lower immunological reactivity, and higher clonogeni c/proliferative potential. These characteristics provide optimal condi tions for successful engraftment without graft-versus-host disease. Th ese data support the possible advantages of FBM from these sources for hemopoietic stem cell reconstitution and gene therapy.