Reconstitution of peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients submitted to bone marrow transplantation: comparison between allogeneic and autologous

BACKGROUND: This study compares the immune reconstitution of total T cells, CD4 and CD8 cell subsets, activated T cells, NK cells and B cells in 66 pa tients who underwent allogeneic or autologous bone marrow transplantation ( BMT). PATIENTS, MATERIAL AND METHODS: The reconstitution of peripheral lymphocyte s subsets was studied using two-color flow cytometry. The study group consi sted of 39 patients who received allogeneic BMT compared with 27 patients w ho received autologous BMT. Peripheral blood was examined at different time intervals. As a measure of immune function, the response to the mitogen ph ytohemaglutinin (PHA) was determined. RESULTS:The pattern of recovery of CD3(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, as we ll as the PHA response, was similar for each type of transplant. CD3(+)CD5( -) cells were significantly higher following autologous BMT than after allo geneic BMT and during more time. An overexpression of DR on T cells followi ng autologous or allogeneic BMT demonstrates an increasing degree of T-lymp hocyte activation. This activated T-cell subset was more stable in patients transplanted with allogeneic BM than in patients treated with autologous B M. The levels of total B cells and CD19(+)CD5(+) B-cells were increased dur ing 2 to 12 months following autologous MET, remaining normal afterwards; i n contrast, the levels of CD19(+) lymphocytes and CD19(+)CD5(+)B-cells rema ined higher than normal ranges until 36 months in patients transplanted wit h allogeneic BM. The percentage of NK cells was significantly increased fol lowing both autologous and allogeneic BMT. The highest percentage of NK cel ls were detected about 2 and 6 months post-transplant in patients treated w ith autologous or allogeneic BM, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Allogeneic BMT appears to induce a slight delay recovery of B and NK cells in comparison to autologous BMT, In contrast, T-cells recovery was similar for each type of transplant, although a higher percentage of C D3(+)CD5(-) T cells and a faster recovery of activated CD3(+)DR(+) cells to normal levels were observed in patients transplanted with autologous BM.