title: Isolation of human megakaryocytes by density centrifugation and counterflow centrigual elutriation.
abstract: Density centrifugation and counterflow centrifugal elutriation were utilized to prepare enriched fractions of megakaryocytes from human bone marrow aspirates. This separation method enriched megakaryocytes in initial marrow aspirates by 116- to 463-fold. Approximately 63% of megakaryocytes were recovered from the initial samples, composing 18.7% of the nucleated cells in the final preparations. Mean megakaryocyte diameters of 51.6 micron and 33.8 micron were obtained from fixed and unfixed cellular specimens, respectively. Smaller platelet glycoprotein-positive mononuclear cells with a mean diameter of 20.5 micron were found in the highest concentrations in this final fraction. These cells presumably represent immature megakaryocytic forms. Counterflow centrifugal elutriation provides a means of isolating enriched populations of marrow megakaryocytes. This accessibility to viable populations of human megakaryocytes will allow additional investigation of the terminal events of megakaryocyte development.
mesh_terms: D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D002498:Centrifugation; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009000:Monocytes / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins