Aislamiento de células mononucleares de sangre periférica para trasplante de células madre: Método simplificado

in the last years, the topic of stem cells has arisen an increasing interest for its therapeutic potential in diseases that have not an effective treatment so far. a prospsective and exploratory study was conducted in patients with obliterant atherosclerosis of the lower limbs to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a manual method of collection and processing of mononuclear cells and of cd34+ cells, starting from mobilized peripheral blood. the blood was processed in closed collection systems, using hydroxyethyl starch as a potentiator of erythrocyte sedimentation. the patients were treated with granulocyte colony stimulating factor at total doses of 40μcg/kg of weight during 2 days. self-donation was performed when the leukocyte count was higher than 20 x 109/l. to assess the efficacy of the method, the amounts of nucleated cells, of mononuclear cells and of cd 34+ cells in the cellular concentrate were analyzed. cellular viability was determined and a microbiological study of the material obtained was conducted. it was proved that the method is efficient and safe, since adequate cellular levels with a high viability and absence of bacterial contamination are attained. on the other hand, it is simple and cheap, which allows its application in other health centres, particularly in those with less resources. this makes possible that more patients benefit from the stem cell treatment.