title: Anti-thoracic duct lymphocyte globulin stimulates human megakaryocytopoiesis in vitro.
abstract: Anti-thoracic duct lymphocyte globulin (ALG) therapy is effective in patients with aplastic anemia. We examined the effect of ALG on human megakaryocyte progenitor cells (colony-forming unit-megakaryocyte, CFU-Meg) in vitro. Normal human bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNC) were cultured in plasma clots with varying concentrations of ALG or non-immunized horse IgG. After 12 days of culture, significant megakaryocyte colony formation was observed in cultures containing ALG but not in cultures containing non-immunized horse IgG. The peak stimulatory effect seemed to occur with 10-25 micrograms/ml of ALG. When marrow MNC, depleted of adherent and T cells, were cultured in plasma clots with ALG, its stimulatory effect on megakaryocytopoiesis decreased markedly. Finally, it was demonstrated that ALG stimulated marrow MNC to produce a factor stimulatory for CFU-Meg. The in vitro megakaryocytopoietic stimulatory effect of ALG may be related to its clinical efficacy in some patients with aplastic anemia.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuriya
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nomura
mesh_terms: D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D008533:Megakaryocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D013897:Thoracic Duct / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D003470:Culture Media