OBJECTIVE: To analyze the preservation effect and related influencing factors of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells under serum-free condition at 4 ℃. METHODS: Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated by density gradient centrifugation, and stored at 4 ℃ under different cell concentrations, supplemented with human serum albumin, and glucose. The cell viability, total cell number, viable cell number and cell phenotype were detected during preservation of 72 h. RESULTS: With the prolongation of storage time, the number of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells gradually decreased(r=0.982). Compared with the cell concentration of (5-6)×10⁶ cells/ml, the cell number decreased more slowly when the cell storage concentration was (1-2)×10⁶ cells/ml; Adding human serum albumin and glucose can effectively improve the survival rate of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, among which 2% human serum albumin has a better preservation effect; Compared with the blank control group, the analysis results of cell subsets showed that the downward trends of NK cells and T cells were significantly slowed after adding albumin and glucose. CONCLUSION The cell density of (1-2)×10⁶/ml and 2% human serum albumin are more suitable for the preservation of PBMC, and 5% glucose can improve the preservation effect of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells at 4 ℃.
Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear

OBJECTIVETo establish a method for isolation, cryopreservation and recovery of the highly viable human peripheral blood monomuclear cells (PBMNCs) so as to achieve the long-term preservation of PBMNCs.

METHODSA total of 80-100 ml peripheral blood were collected from the healthy volumteers aged over 50 years old. The PBMNCs were isolated by the Ficoll density gradient technique and cryopreserved gradually by program control method in liquid nitrogen freezer of -196 °C. The serum-free medium and autoloqous plasma medium were test for preservation of PBMNCs. The cell viability was assessed at time point of 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 months after thawing. Finally, the proliferation ability, purity and cytotoxicity were compared between the autologous immune lymphocytes (AIL) induced from cryopreserved PBMNCs and AIL as control from fresh PBMNCs.

RESULTSAfter separating, the cell viability was 99.6%±0.4%, and the recovery rate of lymphocytes was 58.4%±6.52%. The cell recovery rate of lymphocyte was 89.7%±3.82% at 24 months. The quality assurance program was reliable within 2 years of running. The AIL cells induced with cryopreserved PBMNCs were not significantly different from those induced from fresh PBMNCs in terms of proliferative action, purity and cytotoxicity(CD3(+)CD8(+) ≥45%,CD3(+)CD56(+) NKT≥10%,CD4(+)CD25(+) NKT≤10%).

CONCLUSIONManual separation of lymphocytes in vitro can get enough high-quality PBMNCs. The long-term cryopreserved PBMNC still maintain their high viability. The reinfusion of the clinical autologous immune cells would be advantageous for early tumor immunotherapy. Human AIL induced from cryopreserved PBMNC maintain their anti-tumor ability. These findings have the important implications for the application of these cells to adoptive cellular therapy.

Cytokines ; metabolism ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; immunology ; secretion ; Ubiquitin ; blood

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of saliva of patients with chronic periodontitis (CPD) on the differentiation, activation, and secretion of osteoclast-maturing mediators of macrophages. METHODS: A total of 40 saliva samples were collected from healthy donors (n=20) and severe periodontitis patients (n=20). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and THP-1 monocyte line cells were challenged with 15% saliva for 5 days. The phenotype, surface marker, and phagocytosis of macrophages were analyzed by flow cytometry and microscopy. Osteoclast-maturing mediators were assayed by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. RESULTS: When PBMCs were treated with CPD saliva for 5 days, 61.25%±11.33% of cells were transformed into large granular cells; 86.78%±13.69% of large granular cells were identified as CD14⁺⁺CD16⁺ macrophages. When THP-1 cells were treated with CPD saliva, most cells attached to the bottom of cell culture plates, thereby exhibiting macrophage morphology and releasing additional osteoclast-maturing mediators. Furthermore, the phagocytosis of THP-1 cells considerably increased in the presence of CPD saliva (66.35%±9.67%) compared with medium control (33.33%±7.52%), or healthy saliva (40.71%±3.52%). CONCLUSIONS Saliva from patients with CPD can induce macrophage differentiation, activate phagocytose microorganisms, and secrete osteoclast-maturing mediators.
Cell Differentiation ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; Macrophages ; Monocytes ; Periodontitis ; immunology ; Saliva

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a common complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), which is also one of the major causes of patients' death following transplantation. Recently, extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP) has shown a considerable efficacy in cGVHD treatment, which is based on the infusion of autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected by aphesis, incubated with the photoactivable drug 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) and UV-A irradiation. The therapeutic effect of ECP is mainly achieved by the induction of cell apoptosis, influencing the function of dendritic cells and the induction of immune tolerance. ECP has many advantages in the treatment of cGVHD, such as no increasing the risk of infection in patients, unaffecting the graft-versus-leukemia effect, nearly no side effect and so on. Many medical centers have done a lot of research on the treatment of cGVHD in both children and adults by using ECP and achieved good results. CD19(+) CD21(-) B lymphocytes, serum BAFF and serum TNFα can be used to measure and early evaluate the efficacy of ECP treatment. The effect of ECP is associated with many factors, and certain complications may occur during the treatment. At present, the application of ECP treatment is limited by the unclear mechanisms, varying treatment cycles in different studies, and small number of patients in clinical research. In the near future, with deeper basic research, increasing the case number and standard clinical treatment, ECP will have a more extensive application prospects. This review focuses mainly on the clinical advances of ECP in the treatment of cGVHD.
Apoptosis ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; Photochemotherapy ; Photopheresis ; Ultraviolet Rays

The purpose of study was to investigate the in vitro proliferation ability of PHA-induced CIK cells and traditionally prepared CIK cells, the effector cell level and its influence on killing activity to K562 cells, and to analyze the difference between them. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMNC) of healthy persons were isolated and divided into A and B group. The CIK cells in A group were obtained by using traditional culture method, the CIK cells in B group were prepared by PHA induction. During the cultivation, the cell survival rate and cell absolute value in the cell culture system were counted every 3 days. On day 15 of culture, the cell immunophenotype of 2 groups were detected by flow cytometry, and the ratios of CD3(+)CD56(+), CD3(+)CD8(+) and CD3(+)CD4(+) cells in total cell amount of culture system were accounted. Meantime, the killing activity to K562 cells in different effector-target ratios was detected by using CCK-8 kit between the 2 groups. The results showed that the method of preparing CIK by PHA induction promoted the cell proliferation more than that of the traditional method (P < 0.05), moreover, both the survival rate of cells in 2 groups was more than 90%. The CD3(+)CD8(+), CD3(+)CD56(+) cell ratio in 2 groups obviously increased. As compared with traditional method, the CD3(+)CD8(+) cell level in B group was enhanced (P < 0.05); but there were no statistical differences in increase of CD3(+)CD56(+) cell level and decrease of CD3(+)CD4(+) cell level between 2 groups. while the effector-target ratio is 5:1, 10:1, 20:1 and 40:1, the killing activity of PHA-induced CIK cells to K562 cells was more stronger than traditionally-prepared CIK cells (P < 0.05), moreover, along with increase of effector-target ratio, the difference of killing activity to K562 cells in 2 groups significantly increased. It is concluded that compared with traditional method for preparing CIK cells, the new way by PHA induction can increase the proliferation of CIK cells obviously, enhance the ratio of CD3(+)CD8(+) cells and strengthen the killing activity to the K562 cells. This new way provides a new source of CIK cells and reliable evidence for cyto-immune therapy of leukemia and other tumors.
Cell Proliferation ; Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; K562 Cells ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; Phytohemagglutinins ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation of immunologic thrombocytopenia(ITP) pathogenesis with the abnormal expression of IL-21, and to explore the association of high-dose dexamethasone (HD-DEX) treatment with the IL-21 expression.

METHODS26 newly diagnosed ITP patients and 24 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The mononuclear cells and serum were obtain from density gradient centrifugation in the newly diagnosed ITP patients before HD-DXM treatment, and the samples of healthy controls were also used for assays. The protein and mRNA expression of IL-21 on peripheral blood mononuclear cells(MNC) were determined by flow cytometry and real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Plasma levels of IL-21, IFN-γ and IL-4 were determined by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSIL-21 expression on mononuclear cells was significantly higher in ITP patients (13.07%) than that in normal controls (8.2%), the ratio of IL-21/GAPDH mRNA expression on MNC was significantly higher in ITP patients (9.524±0.97) than that in normal controls (3.701±0.60, P<0.01). After HD-DXM therapy, the ratio of IL-21/GAPDH mRNA decreased significantly (5.87±1.21) as compared with the level before treatment. Significantly high levels of serum IL-21, IFN-γ and lower IL-4 were found in ITP patients, as compared with healthy controls. Serum IL-21 and IFN-γ levels in ITP patients decreased significantly after HD-DXM administration (P<0.01), while post-treatment levels of IL-4 were increased significantly, compared with the levels before treatment (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONTherapeutic effect of DXM on ITP associates with down-regalation of IL-21 expression. The increased expression of IL-21 involves in the pathogenesis of ITP.

OBJECTIVETo study on effects of different manipulation methods of acupuncture on the binding ability of signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT5) in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with DNA.

METHODSThirty healthy volunteers were randomly divided into 3 groups; reinforcing method group, reducing method group, normal control group, 10 cases in each group. The expression of STAT5 mRNA and the activation of STAT5 in the human PBMC were detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA).

RESULTSIn the reinforcing method group, the basic transcription level of STATS mRNA in human PBMC and the binding ability of STAT5 with DNA significantly increased (P<0.01), but in the reducing method group, they did not significantly change as compared with those in the normal control group (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONCytokines and JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway are in volved in immunoregulative actions of acupuncture of the reinforcing method, but the reasons of influencing the transcription level of STAT5 mRNA and the binding ability of STAT5 with DNA are unclear.

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to determine the expression of genes of the oligodendrocyte lineage-myelin basic protein (Golli-MBP) in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) in oral lichen planus (OLP) and to further understand the pathogenesis of OLP.

METHODSPBMC was obtained by density gradient centrifugation, and the expression of Golli-MBP in PBMC was investigated in erythematous/erosive OLP (20 cases), reticular OLP (16 cases) and normal controls (19 cases) using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot methods.

RESULTSRT-PCR results showed that Golli-MBP mRNA was overexpressed in erythematous/erosive and reticular OLP as compared with normal control group (P < 0.01). Western blot assay indicated that erythematous/erosive and reticular OLP patients had a higher expression level of Golli-MBP protein in PBMC than normal controls (P < 0.01). However, there were no significant differences between erythematous/erosive and reticular groups in Golli-MBP mRNA and protein expression (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe data accumulated here strongly indicate that Golli-MBP was involved in the pathogenesis of OLP.

Johne's disease is a condition that refers to chronic granulomatous enteritis in ruminants. It is believed that survival and replication of Mycobacterium (M.) paratuberculosis in mononuclear phagocytes plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Johne's disease. However, it is not clear how M. paratuberculosis survives for long time periods in mononuclear phagocytes, nor is it clear which factors trigger multiplication of these bacilli and result in the development of Johne's disease. Investigating the intracellular fate of M. paratuberculosis is challenging because of its very slow growth (more than two months to form visible colonies on media). Existing animal models also have limitations. Despite those obstacles, there has been progress in understanding the intracellular survival tactics of M. paratuberculosis and the host response against them. In this review, we compare known aspects of the intracellular survival tactics of M. paratuberculosis with those of other mycobacterial species, and consider possible mycobactericidal mechanisms of mononuclear phagocytes.
Animals ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear/*microbiology ; Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis/*physiology ; Phagocytes/*microbiology