title: Studies on sensitivity of human GM-CFU and L-CFU to hyperthermic killing in vitro.
abstract: The thermal sensitivity of normal myeloid and leukaemic cells was compared using morphology, cytochemistry and cultures of granulocyte-macrophage and leukaemic progenitor cells (GM-CFU and L-CFU). We have clearly demonstrated that blast cells from eight cases of acute nonlymphoblastic leukaemia (ANLL) showed greater morphological deterioration and loss of cytoplasmic enzymes with continuous heating at temperatures of 40-43 degrees C than normal marrow mononuclear cells obtained from ten controls. Survival of L-CFU also decreased exponentially with rising temperature whereas GM-CFU were not markedly affected, even at a temperature of 43 degrees C for 30 min. These results suggest that human L-CFU are more sensitive to hyperthermic killing than normal human GM-CFU and that hyperthermia might selectively purge residual leukaemic cells in vitro. Hyperthermia may have a role in clinical autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) for acute leukaemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Lanzhou General Hospital, Gansu Province, China.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Da
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002455:Cell Division; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*