Hydroxyurea promotes the reduction of spontaneous BFU-e to normal levels in SS and S/beta thalassemic patients.
We have studied the effects of hydroxyurea on growth and differentiation of early erythroid progenitor cells (BFU-e) from peripheral blood of sickle cell disease patients (five SS and two Hb S/beta-thalassemia) in the presence or absence of exogenous stimulating factors. When the mononuclear cells from the sickle cell disease patients were cultured at diagnosis (before hydroxyurea treatment), there was an increased number of BFU-e in relation to controls (p < 0.05, Wilcoxon test) when cells were grown in the presence or absence of 5637 conditioned medium and erythropoietin. Colonies that developed in the absence of added growth factors were considered "spontaneous". A significant difference was observed after hydroxyurea treatment in the number of BFU-e obtained in the presence and absence of stimulus, with a higher reduction in the spontaneous BFU-e number. As expected, there was an increased Hb F level in these patients when compared with their pretreatment levels. There was no correlation between spontaneous BFU-e and hemoglobin levels in all patients studied.
Bincoletto
C
C
Department of Pharmacology, Hemocentre, State University of Campinas, UNICAMP, São Paulo, Brazil.
Perlingeiro
R C
RC
Saad
S T
ST
Costa
F F
FF
Queiroz
M L
ML
D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D000986:Antisickling Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000494:pharmacology; D015672:Erythroid Precursor Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000494:pharmacology; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D006918:Hydroxyurea / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012805:Sickle Cell Trait / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology
D000986:Antisickling Agents; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D004921:Erythropoietin; D006918:Hydroxyurea