title: Age- and gender-related alterations of the number and clonogenic capacity of circulating CD34+ progenitor cells.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the peripheral representation and the clonogenic capacity of CD34(+) progenitor cells from 130 healthy subjects (80 females and 50 males) ranging in age from 16 to 100 years. We demonstrated that the absolute number of circulating CD34(+) cells progressively and significantly decreased with advancing age, with a 2-fold reduction in subjects aged more than 80 years. The number of granulocyte-macrophagic (CFU-GM), erytroid (BFU-E), and mixed (CFU-GEMM) colonies which developed from the number of CD34(+) purified cells per ml, progressively and significantly decreased with advancing age. The reduction of both CD34(+) cell number and clonogenic capacity during aging was statistically significant in males but not in females. When evaluated on a per cell bases, a significant age-related decrease in the number of CFU-GM colonies was observed in female but not in male subjects. Our study demonstrates the influence of gender on age-related alterations of the number and clonogenic capacity of CD34(+) cells in the peripheral blood. This evidence deserves particular consideration for the future planning of stem cell therapy in age-associated debilitating diseases.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Tumor Immunology, INRCA Gerontol. Res. Dept., Immunology Center, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moresi
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tesei
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Costarelli
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Viticchi
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stecconi
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bernardini
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Provinciali
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000032:analysis*; D002452:Cell Count; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D005260:Female; D006410:Hematopoiesis / Q000502:physiology*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34