Morphocytochemical features of neutrophilic granulocytes from patients with aplastic anemia.

Blood and bone marrow neutrophilic granulocytes were studied morphologicall y and cytochemically in 54 patients with aplastic anemia aged 15 to 72. The re was a great number of morphologically defective cells evident from an at ypical nuclear form, nuclei position in the cells, chromatine structural va riation from hypercondensation to lysis, cytoplasmic hypo- or degranulation , fimbria or convexity of a part of cytoplasm, dissociations in maturation of the nucleus and cytoplasm. Cytochemical examination discovered enhanced activity of alkaline phosphatase of neutrophilic cytoplasm of both blood an d bone marrow. The activity of myeloperoxidase bactericidal system activity was, on the contrary, subnormal. Lipid concentration in the cytoplasm was also low. Immunotherapy with sandimun and antilympholin K3 for one, three, six and twelve months produced a positive effect. in particular, the activi ty of alkaline phosphatase returned to normal.