Aldehyde dehydrogenase–bright cells correlated with the colony-forming unit–granulocyte-macrophage assay of thawed cord blood units
Abstract
Background
The number of aldehyde dehydrogenase–bright (ALDHbr) cells has been suggested as a viable marker of hematopoietic stem cell function. We evaluated the suitability of ALDHbr cell analysis in the quality assessment of postthaw cord blood (CB) units.
Study Design and Methods
A total of 245 CB units were obtained for estimating the numbers of total nucleated cells (TNCs), CD34+ cells, ALDHbr cells, ALDHbr cells among CD34+ cells (CD34+ALDHbr cells), CD34+ cells among ALDHbr cells (ALDHbrCD34+ cells), colony-forming unit (CFU)–granulocyte-macrophages (GMs), and CFU–granulocyte-erythrocyte-macrophage-megakaryocytes (GEMMs). Simple linear regression analysis was performed to assess the correlation between the number of TNCs and CD34+ cells before and after crypreservation and CD34+ALDHbr cells, ALDHbr cells, and ALDHbr CD34+ cells after cryopreservation and the number of CFU-GEMMS and CFU-GMs.
Results
The number of CFU-GMs was found to be significantly correlated with the number of CD34+ cells before and after cryopreservation (r = 0.418 and r = 0.359, respectively), CD34+ALDHbr cells, ALDHbr cells, and ALDHbrCD34+ cells (r = 0.426, r = 0.455, and r = 0.469, respectively). The number of CFU-GEMMs was found to be significantly correlated with the number of TNCs and CD34+ cells before and after cryopreservation (TNCs, r = 0.251 and r = 0.250, respectively; CD34+ cells, r = 0.391 and r = 0.347, respectively), CD34+ALDHbr cells, ALDHbr cells, and ALDHbrCD34+ cells (r = 0.297, r = 0.297, and r = 0.252, respectively).
Conclusion
The high correlation found between ALDH activity and CFU-GM number supports the suitability of ALDH analysis in the quality assessment of postthaw CB units.
