title: Immunomodulation due to plasma or plasma-platelet apheresis donation: Events occurring during donation procedures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been recently shown that during therapeutic apheresis procedure, a large amount of soluble HLA class I molecules settles onto plastic apheresis circuits, inducing sustained TGFβ1 pre/post-transcriptional modulation in activated patients' leukocytes. Reportedly, donors' leukocytes may be exposed to similar immunosuppressing activities during donor apheresis procedures. On this basis, it could be hypothesized that such events can cause immune modulation. It is uncertain which blood cell population is most impacted by these events. This study is focused on the effects on the T lymphocytes.
  
  
  METHODS
  To assess if such events occur, lymphocytes from 20 apheresis donors collected before and after three closely timed plasma and platelet donation procedures were analyzed for sHLA-I mediated immunomodulation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results confirmed that sHLA-I molecules bind to the apheresis circuit surfaces. Circuits can also transiently activate donors' CD8(+) T lymphocytes, to which sHLA-I molecules can bind, thus modulating short-lasting immune effects, such as transcriptional and post-transcriptional TGFβ1 modulation and soluble Fas ligand release. However, no significant change in relative proportions, absolute number and cell viability of lymphocyte subpopulations was found and no ex vivo immune effect was detectable longer than 14 days after procedure in any cell type in all donors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short-lived sHLA-I mediated immunomodulation was demonstrable in lymphocytes from every donor as a consequence of apheresis procedures, but no enrolled subject experienced any adverse reaction or showed any sign of immunosuppression during 24 months of follow-up after the donations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, I.R.C.C.S. "A.O.U. San Martino-IST,", Genova, Italy.|University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 6, 16132, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghio
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, I.R.C.C.S. "A.O.U. San Martino-IST,", Genova, Italy.|University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 6, 16132, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Contini
authors.affiliation: University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 6, 16132, Genova, Italy.|Department of Health Sciences, I.R.C.C.S. "A.O.U. San Martino-IST,", Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ansaldi
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, I.R.C.C.S. "A.O.U. San Martino-IST,", Genova, Italy.|University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 6, 16132, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ubezio
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, I.R.C.C.S. "A.O.U. San Martino-IST,", Genova, Italy.|University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 6, 16132, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Setti
authors.affiliation: Immunohematology and Transfusion Centre, Institute Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Risso
authors.affiliation: Immunohematology and Transfusion Centre, Institute Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Gino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tripodi
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000737:chemistry; D001782:Blood Donors; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000166:cytology*; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D056747:Immunomodulation; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010949:Plasma / Q000378:metabolism; D010983:Plateletpheresis / Q000379:methods*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; C505661:FASLG protein, human; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; C508960:TGFB1 protein, human; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1
keywords: TGFβ1; apheresis; donor; immunomodulation; sHLA