title: Preterm Cord Blood Contains a Higher Proportion of Immature Hematopoietic Progenitors Compared to Term Samples.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cord blood contains high number of hematopoietic cells that after birth disappear. In this paper we have studied the functional properties of the umbilical cord blood progenitor cells collected from term and preterm neonates to establish whether quantitative and/or qualitative differences exist between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results indicate that the percentage of total CD34+ cells was significantly higher in preterm infants compared to full term: 0.61% (range 0.15-4.8) vs 0.3% (0.032-2.23) p = 0.0001 and in neonates <32 weeks of gestational age (GA) compared to those ≥32 wks GA: 0.95% (range 0.18-4.8) and 0.36% (0.15-3.2) respectively p = 0.0025. The majority of CD34+ cells co-expressed CD71 antigen (p<0.05 preterm vs term) and grew in vitro large BFU-E, mostly in the second generation. The subpopulations CD34+CD38- and CD34+CD45- resulted more represented in preterm samples compared to term, conversely, Side Population (SP) did not show any difference between the two group. The absolute number of preterm colonies (CFCs/10microL) resulted higher compared to term (p = 0.004) and these progenitors were able to grow until the third generation maintaining an higher proportion of CD34+ cells (p = 0.0017). The number of colony also inversely correlated with the gestational age (Pearson r = -0.3001 p<0.0168).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found no differences in the isolation and expansion capacity of Endothelial Colony Forming Cells (ECFCs) from cord blood of term and preterm neonates: both groups grew in vitro large number of endothelial cells until the third generation and showed a transitional phenotype between mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial progenitors (CD73, CD31, CD34 and CD144)The presence, in the cord blood of preterm babies, of high number of immature hematopoietic progenitors and endothelial/mesenchymal stem cells with high proliferative potential makes this tissue an important source of cells for developing new cells therapies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Cellule Staminali Post-Natali e Terapie Cellulari, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Podestà
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Institute for Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bruschettini
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Cellule Staminali Post-Natali e Terapie Cellulari, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cossu
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Cellule Staminali Post-Natali e Terapie Cellulari, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sabatini
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Cellule Staminali Post-Natali e Terapie Cellulari, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dagnino
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Institute for Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Romantsik
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Grazia Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Spaggiari
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca Antonio
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ramenghi
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Cellule Staminali Post-Natali e Terapie Cellulari, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Frassoni
mesh_terms: D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism*; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D015672:Erythroid Precursor Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000097:blood; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism; D047929:Term Birth / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D018952:Antigens, CD34; C068126:CD71 antigen; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase