DECREASED NUMBER OF CIRCULATING BFU-ES IN PAROXYSMAL-NOCTURNAL HEMOGLOBINURIA

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 60  (1) , 157-159
Abstract
To quantitate early erythroid progenitor cells in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 7 PNH patients were cultured in a 0.8% methylcellulose medium containing 2 U/ml erythropoietin. The number of erythroid colonies obtained per 5 .times. 105 mononuclear cells plated was 20.1 .+-. 1.9 (SEM [standard error of mean]) in normal subjects and 2.8 .+-. 0.56 in PNH patients. In plates from PNH subjects, 38 of 117 showed no growth of erythroid colonies, whereas plates from normal subjects always had colonies. PNH patients, despite their hemolytic condition, have a depleted erythroid precursor compartment, and this may play a major role in the pathogenesis of their anemia.