IMMUNE RECONSTITUTION AFTER AUTOLOGOUS PR OGENITOR HEMATOPOIETIC-CELLS TRANSPLANTATION - A STUDY COMPARING AUTOLOGOUS BONE-MARROW AND AUTOLOGOUS PERIPHERAL-BLOOD TRANSPLANTATION

BACKGROUND: In order to find out the effect of peripheral blood (PB) h ematopoietic progenitor cells on immune reconstitution the present stu dy compares, through a randomized trial, some lymphoid subsets after p eripheral blood (PBT) or bone marrow (BMT) autologous transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twelve patients suffering from malignant hemato logical disorders were included (6 BMT and 6 PBT). From these patients 14 lymphoid and natural killer (NK) subsets were sequentially analyze d using appropriate dual staining. NK activity was analyzed by measuri ng Cr51 release from the K562 cell line. Studies were done in days and -6, +10, +17, +24, +31, +38, +52, +66, +90, +120, +180 and +360 after transplantation. RESULTS: The CD8+ cell regeneration was produced mai nly by activated cells (CD38+), and no differences were observed betwe en BMT and PBT, but CD8+ HLADR+ cells were higher in the PBT group. Du ring the first year after transplantation CD4+ lymphoid cells were nev er within normal range, and its recovery was due to the memory subset (CD4+/CD45RO+). The CD19+ lymphocytes began their regeneration after t he first month and it was produced mainly by the CD19+/CD5+ subset. NK cells recovered faster in patients who underwent PBT, but NK activity was similar in both subgroups of patients and it was within normal ra nge from day +17 until the end of the study. CONCLUSION: T, B and NK l ymphoid reconstitution do not differ significantly between patients th at receive BM or PB as hemathopoietic rescue, but PB seems influence a faster reconstitution of cytotoxic subsets (CD8+/HLADR+ and NK lympho id cells).