Preferential Decrease in Thymus Dependent Lymphocytes during Storage at 4 C in Anticoagulant

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Abstract
Human lymphocytes stored at 4.degree. C either as leukocyte concentrates (LC) in citrate-phosphate-dextrose (CPD) or as whole blood anticoagulated with CPD show a rapid and marked decrease in the relative and absolute numbers of thymus derived (T) lymphocytes. Determinations were made on cells recoverable on a Ficoll-Hypaque (F-H) gradient. In evacuated LC, the relative percentage of T cells dropped to less than 10% within 72 h with a concomitant increase in the relative percentage of bone marrow derived (B) cells to 80% or more. LC opened to the air and subsequently stored at 4.degree. C displayed an even more precipitous decline in the relative percentage of T cells, reaching a 10% level within 72 h. The relative percentage of T cells in CPD-anticoagulated whole blood samples stored at 4.degree. C displayed similar decreases, reaching 20% levels within 24 h. The change in the relative percentage of T cells at the Ficoll-Hypaque interface reflected a decrease in the total numbers of T cells placed on the F-H gradient with time, since determinations of T and B cell numbers in NH4Cl-treated whole blood showed a 65-80% decrease in the numbers of T cells within 24 h in anticoagulated whole blood held at 4.degree. C. The T cell decrease is apparently mediated via some interaction of anticoagulant, storage time and some component(s) present in both LC and whole blood.