title: Influence of hydrocortisone on the survival and cluster and colony forming characteristics of normal human granulocyte-macrophage progenitors.
abstract: This study was performed to determine the colony and cluster forming ability of granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) progenitors of normal human blood low density cells cultured in a liquid culture system in the presence and absence of physiological doses of hydrocortisone (Hc). The CFU-GM recovered from the liquid cultures were assayed in soft agar medium. The results of the assays indicated that time-related development of clusters and colonies over 1-16 days, proliferative responsiveness to a source of colony stimulating activity, number of cells developed per colony, and the cellular composition of clusters and colonies produced from CFU-GM recovered from 14-day-old liquid cultures with 1.0 microM Hc, were all similar to those that developed from the normal human blood low density cells. However, a higher fraction of the CFU-GM in day 14 liquid cultures with 1.0 microM Hc were in DNA synthesis phase compared with the CFU-GM from the peripheral blood. This study confirmed the results of previous studies showing lower numbers of recognizable neutrophilic granulocytes and improved survival/proliferation of CFU-GM at day 14 in liquid cultures with 1.0 microM Hc compared with cultures without Hc. The present results suggest that the normal human blood CFU-GM which persists and proliferates under the influence of Hc in a liquid culture system is similar in ontogeny to the blood CFU-GM, and that the recovery of CFU-GM from liquid cultures under the influence of Hc appears to be exerted through stimulation of proliferation and controlled differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Medical Service, VA Medical Center, Albany, New York 12208.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pasquale
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chikkappa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone